The New York Senate passed a resolution on Tuesday opposing requests by the Cayuga Nation and the Oneida Nation to take lands into trust.

The two tribes have asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to protect their lands from state taxation and state laws. They did so after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tribes cannot "unilaterally" assert sovereignty over lands that have been out of their possession for decades.

The resolution was sponsored by Sen. Michael Nozzolio and Sen. Raymond Meier, both Republicans.

Get the Story:
State Senate joins land claims fight (The Syracuse Post-Standard 4/20)
Nozzolio: No 'back-door sovereignty' for Cayugas (The Auburn Citizen 4/20)
State Senate backs move to stop land from going into trust (The Finger Lake Times 4/20)

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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