In a case that raised questions about tribal sovereignty, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down an appeal from the Seminole Tribe of Florida in a dispute about paying state utility taxes.
The decision effectively let stand a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which upheld the collection of a state tax for electricity used on tribal lands. The Seminoles argued the tax violated tribal sovereignty, but the appeals court last year ruled the tax is imposed on utility companies, which then pass it along to customers.
