Supreme Court denies Penobscot appeal over namesake river

By DAVID SHARP
Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined the Penobscot Indian Nation’s appeal in its fight with Maine over ownership and regulation of the tribe’s namesake river. The outcome on Monday was a bitter defeat for the tribe that sued a decade ago, claiming the Penobscot River is part of its reservation. A federal judge previously ruled that the reservation includes islands of the river’s main stem, but not the waters. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court, without comment, declined to hear the appeals over the river. Penobscot Chief Kirk Francis said Monday he views the state’s assertion of control as a “modern day territorial removal.”