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Supreme Court decision derails Pataki settlements
Monday, April 11, 2005

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the Oneida Nation case has effectively scuttled land claim settlements reached by five tribes and Gov. George Pataki (R).

Two key state lawmakers said the deals will not pass the Legislature as written because the court ruled that the Oneida Nation lost governmental rights over its ancestral territory. Although the Oneida Nation did not agree to a settlement, other tribes asserted similar claims to land they lost more than 200 years ago.

The decision is prompting the Cayuga Nation to seek trust status for its newly acquired land. Meanwhile, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma says it will pay property taxes on 227 acres.

The decision may or may not affect the Cayuga land claim case. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals was waiting on the Supreme Court before making a ruling on how much the Cayuga Nation and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe are owed for 64,000 of stolen land.

Get the Story:
Land-claim deal suffers setback (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 4/11)
Court decision could affect deal for casinos (The Syracuse Post-Standard 4/10)
Cayugas may put land in federal trust (The Syracuse Post-Standard 4/10)
Sherrill ruling expected to affect other land claim cases (AP 4/9)

Get the Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Ginsburg] | Concurrence [Souter] | Dissent [Stevens]

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation - http://www.oneida-nation.net
NARF-NCAI Tribal Supreme Court Project - http://doc.narf.org/sc/index.html

Decision in Oneida Indian Nation v. City of Sherrill:
Majority Opinion | Van Graafeiland Dissent

Decision in Cayuga Indian Nation v. Village of Union Springs:
Decision | Order (April 23, 2004)

Related Stories:
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe to pay taxes on acquired land (4/8)
Supreme Court called less sympathetic to Indians (4/7)
Fallout from Supreme Court ruling on Oneida Nation (4/6)
BIA official calls high court ruling 'quite depressing' (03/31)
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (3/30)
Pataki, city, foes pleased with Oneida Nation ruling (3/30)
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (3/29)
Oneida Nation ruling could impact land claims (01/13)
Passage of time at issue in Oneida Nation case (01/12)
Oneida Nation wants court to uphold promises (1/12)
Supreme Court rejects two Indian law cases (1/12)
Supreme Court to hear Oneida Nation land dispute (1/10)
New York municipalities pony up for court brief (12/14)
Hearing set for Oneida Nation treaty rights case (11/12)
Supreme Court takes action on Indian law cases (11/02)
Tribes file briefs in Oneida Nation land case (10/18)
Supreme Court Roundup: 2003-2004 Term (07/08)
Supreme Court to hear dispute over Oneida Nation land (06/29)
Oneida Nation sees support in Bush administration brief (06/08)
Appeal planned in Cayuga Nation land rights case (04/30)
Cayuga Nation land rights upheld by federal judge (4/26)
Cayuga Nation's plans for land worry some in village (04/07)
Report: Seneca-Cayuga Tribe has bigger plans in store (04/06)
NIGC accused of 'ducking' casino land issue in N.Y. (03/23)
Judge in N.Y. hears Seneca-Cayuga land dispute (03/12)
Supreme Court asks for DOJ brief in Oneida case (02/24)
Bill would terminate out-of-state sovereign rights (09/26)
Appeals expected in Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's land case (09/10)
Judge to decide fate of Seneca-Cayuga Tribe's land (9/9)
Cayuga tribes slowly reclaiming ancestral territory (09/02)
Okla. tribe says court decision bolsters case (07/24)
Cayuga Nation welcomes Indian Country decision (07/23)
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