Three major tribal organizations will move forward with a civil rights lawsuit after the South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for the adoption of a
Cherokee Nation girl by a non-Indian couple.
The
National Congress of American Indians, the
National Indian Child Welfare Association and the
Native American Rights Fund expect to file the lawsuit in federal court in South Carolina. They will assert that Veronica Brown's civil rights are being violated.
"Like thousands of Native American children before her, Veronica now faces the prospect of being removed from her Cherokee family, without a formal consideration of her needs, her culture and her well-being,
NCAI executive director Jackie Pata said in a press release.
"This is an alarming failure of the judicial system, and it represents a grave threat to all children in adoption proceedings, but most notably Native American children, who deserve all the legal protections, afforded any child in this nation.”
Veronica has been living with her father, Dusten Brown, also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and his wife in Oklahoma. If the adoption goes unchallenged, she will be forced out of her home.
"On behalf of all Native American children, we will pursue every legal option available to us to ensure that standard adoption procedures are upheld in this case," Pata said.
Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive
Couple v. Baby Girl (June 25, 2013)
Oral Argument Transcript:
Adoptive
Couple v. Cherokee Nation (April 16, 2013)
Related Stories:
Dusten Brown: I won't stop
fighting for my daughter Veronica (7/24)
ICWA dispute over Baby Veronica simmers in multiple
courts (7/24)
Tribal organizations plan
lawsuit on behalf of Baby Veronica (7/22)
South Carolina's top court approves adoption of
Cherokee girl (7/17)
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