City of Sherrill, New York v. Oneida Nation of New York, Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Ginsburg, March 29, 2005 [ruling that the tribe could not regain sovereignty over lands in central New York by purchasing them on the open market]. Excerpt:
In sum, the question of damages for the Tribe's ancient dispossession is not at issue in this case, and we therefore do not disturb our holding in Oneida II. However, the distance from 1805 to the present day, the Oneidas' long delay in seeking equitable relief against New York or its local units, and developments in the city of Sherrill spanning several generations, evoke the doctrines of laches, acquiescence, and impossibility, and render inequitable the piecemeal shift in governance this suit seeks unilaterally to initiate.
Read the full text of the opinion here [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.