Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WASHINGTON -- A congressional panel plans to review this week's Supreme Court decision to block the U.S. Department of Interior from placing into trust a parcel of Narragansett Indian land, but Rhode Island lawmakers have thus far withheld any support for the tribe's plan to seek legislation to undo the ruling.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the 31 acres could not be placed in trust for the Narragansetts because the tribe was not under federal jurisdiction when Congress passed the law that dealt with the federal trust status. Trust status would have exempted teh land from state taxes and laws.

Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said the tribe would join with others to ask Congress to undo the high court's decision.

The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia, said the ruling ``could throw a shroud over the sovereign nature of land held by untold numbers of Indian tribes." Rahall said he would hold a hearing on the case ``in the near future.''

The four members of Rhode Island's all-Democratic congressional delegation said they do not plan to introduce legislation to do so. Three of the four, Rep. James R. Langevin and Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, reaffirmed their opposition to any expansion of casino gambling in the state. Though the tribe never announced any such plans, state officials had feared that the Narragansetts would use the trust status to establish a gambling enterprise.

"I understand Chief Thomass position of wanting to expand economic opportunities for the tribe,'' said Langevin, whose congressional district includes the Narragansett lands and the neighborning towns. But he said, ``It would have concerned me'' if the high court had upheld a lower court ruling permitting the federal government to take the land in question into trust.

Sen. Jack Reed said the issue of gambling was ``lurking behind'' the question of trust powers at issue in the case. He said he ``absolutely'' continues to oppose casino gambling in the state. But Reed declined to speculate about legislation related to the case because he has not seen any bill.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy both declined to be interviewed about the case but issued brief statements. "We're still reviewing the Court's decision, but have no plans to introduce related legislation or to take any steps that would expand casino gambling in Rhode Island," Whitehouse said.

Kennedy, who in years past has been the Rhode Island congressional delegation's strongest supporter of the tribe's effort to secure gambling rights, issued this statement: "The Supreme Court's decision has the potential to affect tribes all over the country and right now the legal ramifications are still being determined. I am not submitting legislation to challenge the court ruling," said Kennedy.

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