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US government ordered to reimburse Native Americans
(BBC) Native Americans are allowed to run public services independently of the federal government
The US Supreme Court has ordered the government to repay Native American tribes the costs of providing public services, in a ruling that could be worth millions of dollars.
Under federal laws which allow the tribes to manage their own affairs, the government must reimburse them for the costs of these facilities.
But between 1994-2001 the Congress failed to allocate enough money.
The tribes will now be paid in the same way as any private contractor.
‘Major victory’
In the 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Navajo Indians and several other tribes must be paid in full for the services they provided in 1994-2001, including education, environmental protection and security.
It said that it was not the fault of the tribes that Congress had imposed a ceiling on such payments because of the lack of funds.
“The government was obligated to pay the tribes’ contract support costs in full,” the court said in the ruling.
The federal payments reportedly covered between 77% and 92% of the costs, depriving the plaintiffs of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The verdict is a major victory for the tribes, the BBC’s Paul Adams in Washington reports.
But the decision also has implications for contractors in general, as the court said the government has to abide by its promises, our correspondent says.
If a service had been performed, the court said, then it was not good enough simply to say the money was not there.
Georgina
June 20, 2012 at 9:47 am
Awesome to hear!
Kararaina Beckett
June 19, 2012 at 9:20 pm
I am so happy for my Native friends… can’t wait to hear their responses..
Jenny
June 19, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Justice was a long time coming ….Whoop whoop
JESAMINE WIKAIRA
June 19, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Wow Congrats to our brothers and sisters of the American Native Circle Wahkan Tanka is alive and well!
Bronnie
June 19, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Ka pai!
Mate Tangitu
June 19, 2012 at 7:01 pm
ABOUT TIME! HIP HIP HOORAY TO THE AMERICAN NATIVES!!
DigitalMaori
June 19, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Indeed!