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FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2002

"American schoolchildren are taught the American myth that ours is "a nation of laws, not men." When I was a law student, my teachers attempted valiantly to have me regard the law as something larger than life, something reflecting ancient wisdom and administered by men (and the occasional woman) of great moral and intellectual integrity. I only doubted that then; now I know it to be untrue. I do not think myself cynical in this regard, just realistic. I believe that the law is just what judges, congressmen and senators say it is, and no more. And Federal Indian law, the law governing the authorities, immunities, and rights of Indian tribes and Indian people, is just what any five members of the Supreme Court say it is at any given moment.

Thus I watch with growing concern as tribal leaders negotiate with the Interior Department concerning the organization of the trust reform effort. While I believe those negotiations are a good idea and must be pursued, I fear that the real action in trust reform is taking place before the Supreme Court, and I don’t believe the news will be good. . ."

Get the Story:
Kevin Gover: We shouldn’t have (Indian) trust in the Supreme Court (Indian Country Today 8/16)

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