Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt |
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| Argued November 9, 2004 Decided March 1, 2005 |
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| Full case name | Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, et al. v. Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. |
| Citations | 543 U.S. 631 (more)
125 S. Ct. 1172; 161 L. Ed. 2d 66
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| Prior history | |
| Holding | |
| Reversed and remanded in part, affirmed and remanded in part, held that a contract with the Federal Government to reimburse the tribe for health care costs was binding, despite the failure of Congress to appropriate funds for those costs. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Breyer, joined by Stevens, O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsburg |
| Concurrence | Scalia |
| Rehnquist took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S.C. 450 et. seq. | |
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt was an important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005. The Court had to decide if the U.S. government had to keep its promise to pay Native American tribes for health care services, even if Congress didn't set aside enough money for it. The Court decided that the government's promise was binding, meaning it had to be kept.
Contents
Why Did This Case Happen?
In 1975, the U.S. Congress passed a law called the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA). This law allowed different government groups to make agreements with Native American tribes. These agreements let the tribes provide services, like health care, for their own people.
The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the Shoshone and Paiute tribes from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation (in Idaho and Nevada) made such agreements. They signed contracts with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer health care. The contracts said that HHS would pay the tribes back for the costs of providing this care.
However, for the years 1994 to 1997, HHS agreed to pay these costs but later refused. They said that Congress had not given them enough money to cover all the expenses. This disagreement led to the tribes taking legal action.
The First Decisions
The Cherokee tribe first tried to solve the problem through a special government board. This board agreed with the tribe and ordered the government to pay the Cherokees $8.5 million.
In a separate but similar case, the Shoshone and Paiute tribes sued the government in a Federal District Court in Oklahoma. They asked for about $6.9 million because the government broke its contract. This court, however, decided against the tribes. It said that HHS couldn't pay if Congress hadn't given them enough money.
Taking the Case to Higher Courts
Because of these different decisions, both cases were appealed. The government appealed the Cherokee case, and the tribes appealed their case. The appeals went to different higher courts, and these courts also made different decisions. This meant there were two very similar situations with opposite legal outcomes.
To fix this confusion, the Supreme Court agreed to hear both cases. They wanted to make a clear decision that would apply to everyone.
What the Supreme Court Decided
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the main opinion for the Supreme Court. Most of the other justices agreed with him. The Court sided with the tribes.
The government argued that these contracts were special "government-to-government" agreements. They felt that tribes should only get a part of the money that Congress had specifically set aside. They said these were not like "ordinary" contracts where promises must always be kept.
Justice Breyer disagreed with the government's argument. He pointed out that Congress had been worried in the past about the government not paying tribes enough for their costs. He said that Congress wanted to make sure these costs were paid in the future. The Court decided that the contracts were binding. This meant the government had to pay the tribes for the health care costs, even if Congress hadn't set aside enough money.
A Different View
Justice Antonin Scalia agreed with the Court's decision. However, he didn't agree with one small part of the majority's reasoning. He didn't think the Court should have used a report from a Senate committee to figure out what Congress intended.
What Happened After
This case was very important for Native American tribes. It helped to strengthen the idea of tribal self-determination, which means tribes can manage their own affairs. It also showed that the U.S. government must be held responsible for the contracts it makes with tribes. This decision was seen as a positive step for Native American legal cases during a time when many Supreme Court rulings were not in favor of the tribes.
