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Supreme Court strikes down tax
It looks like its yet another losing year for
tribes at the Supreme Court, who this week
struck down a tax that brought in $1.2
million to the Navajo Nation.
Holding that tribes have no authority to tax
non-Indian businesses on non-Indian,
the unanimous Court said the Navajo Nation's
hotel tax was an invalid exercise of its
sovereignty. The ruling is expected
to have an effect throughout Indian Country
as tribes with similar taxes stand to lose
millions of dollars in revenue.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to rule on
whether state officials have sovereign
immunity in tribal courts.
Get the Story:
Supreme Court set to rule on
tribal court challenge (5/29)
Supreme Court
strikes down Navajo tax (5/30)
Navajo ruling
draws praise, criticism (6/1)
Victory declared in trust fund case
In a victory for American Indians
throughout the country, one case the Supreme Court
won't be looking at is the federal government's
embarrassing trust fund lawsuit. The Bush
administration, acting on a recommendation from
the Department of Interior, has decided
not to appeal the case.
Brought to court five years ago by the Native
American Rights Fund and a group of five determined
plaintiffs, the case has survived government
snafus to emerge as a landmark in trust law.
Although the amount owed to an estimated 300,000
American Indian account holders is not yet known,
the lawsuit has forced the government to implement
fixes which should have been in place years ago.
Yet questions still remain. As the Bush administration
pushes to drill more federal and tribal lands,
lead plaintiff Elouise Cobell predicts more
Indian account holders will be ripped off unless
the government proves it can manage the funds properly.
Get the Story:
Bush
administration won't challenge trust fund ruling (5/31)
Energy Policy:
More drilling, more problems (5/31)
more stories
There's still more to read in the recap
of the top stories.
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