Federal Sovereignty - Virginia Indian Tribes

Read article on Federal Sovereignty for Virginia Indians I published in NALA magazine.

Reprinted with permission of NALA, The Association of Legal Assistants/Paralegals. The article originally appeared in the August 2008 issue of Facts & Findings, NALA’s quarterly magazine for paralegals. The article is reprinted here in its entirety. For further information, contact NALA at www.nala.org or phone (918) 587-6828.

Federal Recognition

The purpose of this blog is to instigate a dialogue on the subject of federal recognition among the legal and Indian community. Six Virginia Indian Tribes collectively known as the “Thomasina Jordan” Indian tribes are seeking federal recognition. The sovereignty gained would provide any number of benefits from the federal government. The tribes already have recognition by the Commonwealth of Virginia that afford them certain benefits.

In an objective quest I plan to explore the both the pros and cons related to this issue. It is my intent by open dialogue to explore facts, rules, precedent, regulations, processes, and concepts that can be applied to the rule of law for a fair conclusion.