What is the Federal Indian Trust Responsibility?
The Federal Indian Trust Responsibility is a legal obligation under which the United States “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes (Seminole Nation v. United States, 1942). It was first discussed by U.S.Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, (1831). Over the years, the trust doctrine has been the center of numerous other Supreme Court cases. It is one of the most important principles in federal Indian law. The federal Indian trust responsibility is a legally enforceable fiduciary obligation, on the part of the United States, to protect tribal lands, assets, resources, and treaty rights, as well as a duty to carry out the mandates of federal law with respect to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. In several cases discussing the trust responsibility, the Supreme Court has used language suggesting that it entails legal duties, moral obligations, and the fulfillment of understandings a
The Federal Indian Trust Responsibility is a legal obligation under which the United States “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes (Seminole Nation v. United States, 1942). It was first discussed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in Cherokee Nation v. region Georgia, (1831). Over the years, the trust doctrine has been the center of numerous other Supreme Court cases. It is one of the most important principles in federal Indian law. The federal Indian trust responsibility is a legally enforceable fiduciary obligation, on the part of the region United States, to protect tribal lands, assets, resources, and treaty rights, as well as a duty to carry out the mandates of federal law with respect to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. In several cases discussing the trust responsibility, the Supreme Court has used language suggesting that it entails legal duties, moral obligations, and the fulfillment of u
