In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831), what status did the Supreme Court assign to the Cherokee Nation?

• A. Sovereign nation with full standing to sue
• B. Domestic dependent nation with standing to sue
• C. Domestic dependent nation with no standing to sue
• D. Foreign state with limited rights to sue

Answer: (C)

Tribal nations in this era were understood as domestic dependent nations—they had their own governments and some self-rule, but they were not fully sovereign and remained under the guardianship of the federal government. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Supreme Court labeled the Cherokee as such and held that they were not a foreign state with the standing to sue in federal court. Since they were not a foreign nation, the Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case in the way a foreign state might; thus the Cherokee Nation had no standing to sue in this context. This puts the tribe in a nuanced position: recognized as a political community with protections under federal authority, but not a sovereign foreign nation with full legal standing before the Supreme Court.