A judge in New York has barred Cayuga County from pursuing a tobacco case against the Cayuga Nation.

Judge Mark Fandrich said the state's highest court made it clear that the county lacked jurisdiction over sales at two tribal smoke shops. He ordered the county to dismiss criminal indictments against tribal members and tribal employees.

The county had claimed it could go after the tribe for wholesale transactions. Fandrich pointed out that the county never raised the issue in the nearly two years since the case began.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, Gould v. Cayuga Indian Nation of New York.

Get the Story:
Judge: Too late to prosecute Cayugas for alleged wholesale transactions (The Cayuga Citizen 10/7)
Court orders Cayuga County to return cigarettes to Cayuga Nation (The Syracuse Post-Standard 10/7)

New York Court of Appeals Decision:
Cayuga Nation v. Gould (May 11, 2010)

New York Appellate Division Decision:
Cayuga Nation v. Gould (July 10, 2009)

New York Supreme Court Decision:
Cayuga Nation v. Gould (December 9, 2008)

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