Number: RL32361
Title: Tribal Sovereignty Over Nonmember Indians: United States v. Billy Jo Lara
Authors: Nathan Brooks, American Law Division 
Abstract: On April 19, 2004 the Supreme Court handed down its decision in United States v. Billy Jo Lard allowing Indian tribes and the federal government to each prosecute nonmember defendants for the same on reservation crime without violating the Double Jeopardy Clause. This case presented interesting questions of Indian tribal sovereignty and how Indian tribes fit into the American Constitutional structure of government. The case centered around a tribes authority to prosecute nonmember Indians for crimes committed on that tribe s reservation.
Pages: 9
Date: April 21, 2004