Supreme Court hears land case involving Oneida Nation

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that pits a Native American tribe trying to recover its ancestral land against a New York town trying to protect its tax base. The city of Sherrill says the Oneida Indian Nation owes taxes on two businesses it owns in the city, and that if the tribe continues to buy more valuable land in the 2.2-square-mile city, it could go bankrupt. The Oneidas say the gas station and textile plant they own are Indian country under federal law and no local government has the power to take it away from them or tax it. "George Washington made promises to the Oneida people. This case is about whether the U.S. keeps its promises," said Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter. The city's lawyers say the Oneidas gave up the land under at least two treaties and cannot claim authority over the property. Native American tribes across the nation are paying attention to the case, which the Supreme Court must rule on before its session ends in June. The Oneidas, in a separate case, are seeking compensation for about 270,000 acres the tribe says the state illegally took in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Justice Stephen Breyer suggested during Tuesday's hearing that the party that prevails in the Sherrill case will have the better bargaining position in the land claim. [more]

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