Bumping back into sovereignty

For everyone who wrestled with understanding the nuances of sovereignty during the Foxwoods-UAW hearings earlier this year, the issue has a new face — 4-year-old Rain Thomas. The girl, daughter of Mashantucket Pequot Chairman Michael Thomas, is at the heart of custody battle between her tribal member father and a non-tribal mother.

Yet again, Connecticut's jurisdiction is blurry. Local courts defer to custody decisions already made by the tribal court. State police say they have jurisdiction to enforce arrest warrants on the reservation that Connecticut feels are valid. And the girl's mother, Vanessa Hyman, appears to be asking any court she can whether they can return her daughter.