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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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History

University of North Dakota

1986

Lawsuit

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Three Affiliated Tribes V. Wold Engineering (1986), United States Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor Jan 1986

Three Affiliated Tribes V. Wold Engineering (1986), United States Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor

US Government Documents related to Indigenous Nations

Three Affiliated Tribes v. Wold Engineering is a case that forced the United States (US) Supreme Court to clarify US Public Law 83-280 (typically referred to as Public Law 280). Due to a lack of clarity in US Public Law 280, when the Three Affiliated Tribes attempted to sue Wold Engineering for breach of contract, North Dakota (ND) state courts told the tribes that they were unable to preside over a case between a sovereign nation and a private business. The ND Supreme Court held that the tribes would have to give up tribal sovereignty if they wanted to try …