Constitution of the United States - WordPress.com · 2018-09-20 · Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution • Congress has to power to “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,

Constitution of the United States

Indigenous Peoples

Frontier Wars

Constitutional Convention

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

WhatdoestheConstitutionmeanforIndigenousPeoples?

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Congresshastopowerto“regulateCommercewithforeignNations,andamongtheseveralStates,andwiththeIndianTribes”(Article1,Section8)

•  MarshallTrilogy–  Johnsonv.M’Intosh(1823)– CherokeeNationv.Georgia(1831)– Worcesterv.Georgia(1832)

•  However,Congressguttedmuchofthis–  IndianRemovalActsof1830authorizedtheremovalofIndigenousPeoplesfromtheirnativeterritoriestofederallandswestoftheMississippiRiver•  LedtotheinfamousTrailofTearswhereover4,000Cherokeesdied•  By1837,Jackson’sadministrationhadremoved46,000IndigenousPeoplesfromtheirhomelandandopeningover22millionacresoflandtowhitesettlement

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  CherokeeTobaccocase(1870)– SupremeCourtruledthatlatercongressionalstatutestrumpearliertreaties

– Courtdealtakillstroketonegotiatingtreatypolicymaking

– CongressunilaterallyendedthepracticeoftreatymakingwithIndigenousPeoplesthenextyear

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Indigenoussovereigntyhassinceexperiencedincreasedlimitations– MajorCrimesActof1885

•  ExParteCrowDog(1883)–  Congressbegantopassbroadpiecesoflegislationpromotingassimilationistpoliciesfrom1887to1933

– DawesAct(1887)•  to“civilize”IndigenousPeoplesbyremovingtheiruniquecultureandheritage

•  BureauofIndianAffairs,privateorganizations,andstatesbeganthewidespreadremovalofchildrenfromindigenousfamiliesuntilthe1970s

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

– CongressionalpowertounilaterallybreaktreatyobligationsandtribalconsentnolongerrequiredinfederaleffortstoacquiremoreIndigenouslands•  LoneWolfv.Hitchcock(1903)

– PublicLaw280(1953)•  Concurrentcivilandcriminaljurisdictions

– CongresscouldextinguishtheIndigenoustitlewithoutbeingconsideringa‘taking’andhavingtoprovidejustcompensation•  Tee-Hit-Tonv.UnitedStates(1955)

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

– Nixonadministrationunilaterallyseveredgovernment’sobligationstowardsmanytribes•  therebyleavingthemsubjecttostateauthority

–  IndianGamingRegulatoryAct(IGRA)(1988)•  Californiav.CabazonBandofMissionIndians(1987)•  SeminoleTribev.Florida(1996)

–  IndianChildWelfareAct(ICWA)(1978)•  InReAdoptionofBabyBoyL(1982)•  MississippiChoctawIndiansv.Holyfield(1989)

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

– CityofSherill,NewYorkv.OneidaIndianNationofNewYork(2005)•  RepurchaseofIndigenouslandsdoesnotrestoretribalsovereigntytothatland

– Nebraskav.Parker(2016)•  Governmentcantake50,000acresofreservationlandwithout‘diminishing’Omahareservation

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

WhatdoesthisconstitutionalhistorymeanforIndigenousPeoplestoday?

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Directlossofsovereigntyvialegislativeandjudiciallaw

•  Federaldevolutiontostates– eliminatessovereignty–  invitesconflict–  forcesIndigenousPeoplestolobbylegislaturesandseekjudicialredressinstatecourts

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Stateshaveactivelylegislatedoverindigenousaffairs– From1998to2007,statesproposed3,557lawsandpassed910laws•  averageof91lawspassedeachyear

–  includingstateswithnofederally-recognizedtribewithintheirborders

– 30%oftheproposedlawsarepassed– Mixedsuccessinlobbyingstatelegislatures

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Federalcourtsnowrarelyhearindigenousclaims.–  In2017,federalcourtsheardonly120casesinvolvingindigenousclaims•  Onaverage,indigenouscasesrepresentonly2%oftheU.S.SupremeCourtdocket

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  TheshiftfromfederalcourtjurisdictiontoprimarilystatecourtsisproblematicforIndigenousPeoples– Createsinconsistentprecedent– Directlyaffectsindigenousrights

•  Indigenousclaimsrarelywinatstatecourts

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  IndigenousPeoplesonlywin30%ofthetimewhentheyfacefederal/stateoppositioninstatesupremecourts– wherethevastmajorityofthesecasesarederivedfromPL280states

•  OfthecriminalcasesinvokingPL280,IndigenousPeopleslosealmost80%ofthetime

•  OfICWAcases,individuallitigantsonlywinaround30%ofthetime–  FirstNations(ascommunities)prevailaround46%ofthetime

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Federalgovernmentsupportofindigenousclaimsdoesnotimprovelikelihoodtowin

•  OriginaltreatieswithIndigenousPeoplesdoesnotimprovelikelihoodofsecuringrights– 370treatiesbetweentheU.S.andIndigenousPeoples

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  ConstitutionprovideslittleprotectionforIndigenousPeoples– Collectiveversusindividualrights

•  Membership–  SantaClaraPueblov.Martinez(1978)

•  DomesticViolence–  ViolenceAgainstWomen(2013)

•  IndianCivilRightsAct1968– MakesmanybutnotallofBillofRightsguarantees–  Issuesofself-determinationandcolonizationeffectsonvulnerablepeoples

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  IndigenousPopulation–  576federallyrecognizedtribesin2016–  326federallyrecognizedreservations–  6.8millionIndigenousPeoples

•  2%ofthepopulationoftheU.S.– Morethan100,000IndigenousPeoplesinTexas

•  Anadarko,Apache,Arapaho,Caddo,Cherokee,Cheyenne,Chickasaw,Comanche,Kawakawa,Kiowa,andShawneePeoples

•  TiguaofYsletadelSurPueblo,MescaleroApache,TortugasPueblo,Pima,Suma,Manso,Comanche,Raramuri

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  In2017UTEPrecognizedIndigenousPeoplesDay– UTEPAcademicRevivalofIndigenousStudiesandEducation(A.R.I.S.E.)

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

Indigenous Peoples and the U.S. Constitution

•  Thankyou!

•  Questions?RebeccaA.Reid,PhD

[email protected]