What is the Indian Civil Rights Act?
The Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) is a United States federal law that was passed in 1968 that protects the civil rights of Native Americans living in the United States. The law applies to all federally-recognized tribes in the United States. In Maryland, the ICRA applies to the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, the Accohannock Indian Tribe, and the Maryland State Indian Tribes. The ICRA is essentially an extension of the Bill of Rights to Native American tribal nations. It grants Native Americans the right to freedom of speech and religion, to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures, to trial by jury, and other civil rights commonly protected in the United States. The ICRA also established the National Indian Gaming Commission, which regulates gaming activities on Indian lands, and the Indian Appeals Court System, which is a tribunal court system that provides legal reviews of tribal court decisions. The ICRA also provides a number of protections against discrimination and abuse from state and federal governments. These include protections from unequal enforcement of state laws, police brutality, and assaults on tribal religious and cultural rights. In Maryland, the ICRA has been used to argue for the expansion of tribal sovereignty. This includes land rights, water rights, hunting and fishing rights, and the ability to regulate gambling operations on tribal lands. It has also been used to argue for the protection of sacred sites and the rights of tribal members to practice traditional medicines and religious ceremonies.
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