Number: RL34521
Title: Carcieri v. Kempthorne: Whether the Secretary of the Interior May Acquire for the Narragansett Indian Tribe Trust Land Which is Not Subject to Rhode Island's Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction
Authors: M. Maureen Murphy, American Law Division 
Abstract: Carcieri v. Kempthorne (No. 07-526) represents the latest in a series of jurisdictional contests over tribal lands in Rhode Island. In this case, the Supreme Court will consider the Secretary of the Interior's (SOI) authority to take into trust for the benefit of the Narragansett Indian Tribe (Tribe) and, therefore, generally free of state civil and criminal jurisdiction, a parcel of land outside of the Tribe's current reservation. The present reservation consists of lands, which the Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1974 (RIICSA) designated as "settlement lands," subjected to Rhode Island civil and criminal jurisdiction.
Pages: 10
Date: June 3, 2008