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Friday, January 9, 2004

Massachusetts attorney general Thomas Reilly is intervening in a case that affirmed the sovereign immunity of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe.

The tribe's settlement act subjects tribal lands to state and local laws. But a superior court judge said the law did not waive the tribe's immunity from lawsuit.

The dispute arose when tribal members built a shed on the reservation without a local zoning permit. The town of Aquinnah brought the suit but decided not to appeal. Other parties in the case are appealing.

The tribe is the only federally-recognized tribe in the state.

Get the Story:
State poised to weigh in on Aquinnah tribe dispute (The Cape Cod Times 1/8)

Court Decision:
Town of Aquinnah v. Gay Head Wampanoag Tribe (June 11, 2003)

Related Stories:
Mass. town urged to appeal tribal immunity ruling (12/05)
Mass. court upholds Wampanoag Tribe's sovereignty (11/06)
Dershowitz: Judge may be wrong on Wampanoag case (07/22)
Mass. town argues for jurisdiction over tribe (7/21)
Mass. judge asked to reconsider sovereignty ruling (06/24)
Mass. court affirms tribe's sovereignty (6/18)
Mass. tribe argues for sovereign rights on land (02/14)

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