Tribes to rally in Washington for fix to land-into-trust ruling

Tuesday, June 7, 2011  

Tribal leaders will head to Washington, D.C., later this month to rally for a fix to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

Tribes that weren't "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934 cannot follow the land-into-trust process, the court said in the February 2009 ruling. A fix ensures that all tribes, regardless of the date of federal recognition, can acquire trust land.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has already approved S.676 to fix the decision. But the committee plans to hold another hearing on the issue on June 23.

Similar versions of the fix -- H.R.1291 and H.R.1234 -- have yet to receive a hearing in the House.

To push for passage, tribes will hold a rally at the US Capitol on June 22. The National Congress of American Indians and the United South and Eastern Tribes are organizing the summit.

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

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Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves land-into-trust fix (4/8)
Rep. Cole introduces fix to Supreme Court land-into-trust ruling (4/4)
Echo Hawk 'strongly supports' fix to land-into-trust decision (3/31)
Bills introduced to fix Supreme Court land-into-trust decision (3/31)
White House aide vows support for fix to land-into-trust decision (3/1)