Cherokee Nation father speaks out after Supreme Court ruling

Wednesday, July 3, 2013  

Dusten Brown, the Cherokee Nation father whose Indian Child Welfare Act case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, wants to ensure his daughter is raised in her tribal culture.

Brown has been living with his daughter in Oklahoma after winning custody under ICWA. But the Supreme Court's ruling in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl sends the case back to South Carolina, where a non-Indian couple wants to adopt her.

"They can't provide what my grandmother told me, and what I learned whenever I was growing up," Brown told CBS News of the possibility that his daughter might be raised in a non-Indian home. "They can't provide that."

Before being deployed to Iraq, Brown signed papers to terminate his parental rights. He says that he didn't realize what he was doing.

"I never abandoned my child," Brown told CBS News.

Get the Story:
Supreme Court gets involved in family's custody battle (CBS News 7/2)
Exclusive: Baby Veronica's Biological Father Speaks Out (News on 9 7/2)
'Baby Veronica' doesn't know implications of Supreme Court ruling, father says (The Tulsa World 7/3)

Also Today:
Tom Junod: The Supreme Court Case Vexing Adoptive Parents Everywhere (Esquire 7/1)

Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (June 25, 2013)

Oral Argument Transcript:
Adoptive Couple v. Cherokee Nation (April 16, 2013)

South Carolina Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive Couple v. Cherokee Nation (July 26, 2012)

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Bill John Baker: Cherokee children are our most valuable asset (7/1)
Supreme Court issues order to finalize decision in ICWA case (7/1)
Non-Indian couple rushes to resolve custody in ICWA case (6/28)
Jacqueline Keeler: Saving Baby Veronica from being Indian (6/28)
Editorial: Supreme Court got it right in Baby Veronica case (6/28)
Alex Pearl: Supreme Court sends message on Indian blood (6/27)
Turtle Talk: More thoughts on Supreme Court ICWA decision (6/27)
Native Sun News: Supreme Court goes against Indian father (6/27)
Kevin Abourezk: Nebraska reaction to decision in ICWA case (6/26)
Jennifer Gapetz: Baby Veronica is a Cherokee Nation citizen (6/26)
Lots of Links: Coverage of Indian Child Welfare Act decision (6/26)
Supreme Court rules against Cherokee father in ICWA dispute (6/25)
Cherokee Chief: Baby girl should remain with biological father (6/25)
NCAI remains hopeful after ruling in Supreme Court ICWA case (6/25)
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Opinion: We fought the Cherokee Nation to keep adopted child (6/25)