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Law
Counties challenge Cayuga Nation on sovereignty


Two New York counties are planning to assert their authority over properties recently purchased by the Cayuga Nation.

Officials in Cayuga and Seneca counties plan to inspect the gas pumps at gas stations owned by the tribe. The counties, citing the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Oneida Nation case, say they are prepared to go to court if they have to.

The tribe is objecting to the inspections and has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take the properties into trust or in restricted allotment status. The tribe, however, is willing to work with the counties in the meantime to avoid a full-blown dispute.

Get the Story:
Showdown on pumps may come this week (The Syracuse Post-Standard 4/19)

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

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)

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