Oneida Land Into Trust
In May 2008, following the acceptance of the the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Bureau of Indian Affairs granted approval to the Oneida Indian Nation's land into trust application with respect to lands in Madison and Oneida Counties. The State of New York and Oneida and Madison Counties are fighting that decision in federal court (click here to see the complaint.) Cayuga and Seneca Counties believe that litigation could possibly impact the Cayuga Indian Nation’s land into trust application and have filed “friend of the court” briefs in support of Madison and Oneida Counties.

Cayuga and Oneida Indian Nations Re-open Their Land Claim Lawsuits
The Oneida Indian Nation also re-opened its original land claim lawsuit that was previously dismissed to seek fair market value for the lands it sold in Madison and Oneida Counties many years ago. An appeal in that suit is currently pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following this precedent, the Cayuga Indian Nation has also moved to re-open its original land claim lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York against Cayuga and Seneca Counties. The Cayuga Nation had lost its land claim in a 2005 decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The U. S. District Court is holding its decision on the Cayuga Nation’s re-opened suit pending the Second Circuit's decision on the Oneida Nation’s claim.