OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Native American tribe is suing Nebraska officials, alleging that the state's regulation of the reservation's tobacco production is unconstitutional and an attack on the tribe's sovereignty.
The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal reports that two subsidiaries of the Winnebago Tribe filed a lawsuit last week against Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton. The subsidiaries, HCI Distribution and Rock River Manufacturing, say tribal commercial activities are protected under federal law and Nebraska has no regulatory authority over the tribe's cigarette operations.?
The lawsuit alleges that the largest American tobacco manufacturers are pressuring Nebraska and 45 other states to expand their jurisdiction onto Indian reservations.
Tribal Chairman Frank White says a raid in January was sparked by state regulators to leverage an ongoing tax dispute with the tribe.
The attorney general's office declined comment.
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