Organizations Submit Amicus Briefs in Support of Rehearing Petition
TULSA, Okla. (April 12, 2010) – Four amicus briefs were submitted Friday in support of the Osage Nation’s petition for rehearing of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision last month saying the tribe did not have a federally recognized reservation, according to Osage Nation officials.
The organizations supporting the Osage Nation are the Osage Nation Bar Association, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, the Sac and Fox Nation, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, the National Congress of American Indians, the Council of Energy Resource Tribes (consisting of fifty-four federally recognized U.S. Indian tribes and four First Nation treaty tribes of Canada), the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. “The filing of these briefs goes to show that there is displeasure among tribal organizations over the Tenth Circuit’s ruling against the Osage Nation,” Osage Nation Chief Jim Gray said. “These organizations understand such a reckless decision can have significant negative implications on all tribes.” The Tenth Circuit ruled in favor of the Oklahoma Tax Commission which says the Osage Nation’s reservation was disestablished, although the court failed to identify clear language in any act of Congress which supports that claim. The Osage Nation contends it has a federally recognized reservation which makes its tribal members living and working within the boundaries of the reservation exempt from paying state income taxes under federal law. Its reservation status was reaffirmed in 2004 when George W. Bush signed the Osage Reaffirmation Act. “We are very appreciative of the support these organizations are providing us,” Gray said. “It is important we all work together to urge the Tenth Circuit to reconsider its decision that is such a wide departure from established precedent.”
Updated 04-12-2010
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