Excerpt
RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): The little girl at the center of this case is known as Baby Veronica. She's caught in a custody battle, the kind normally heard in local courts. But the case was heard today by high court justices since it raises larger questions about federal law because the girl is part Cherokee Indian.
The Indian Child Welfare Act was passed in 1978 to protect children and the stability of Indian tribes. It allows tribal involvement in custody decisions, so Indian children aren't unnecessarily removed from their ethnic origins.
Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal was in the courtroom this morning, and is back with us tonight.
And, Marcia, when people hear custody battle, they tend to think mother vs. father, but this was kind of a three- or even four-way legal argument, wasn't it?
MARCIA COYLE, National Law Journal: Absolutely, Ray.
You had the lawyer for the adoptive couple here who had custody of the child for about 27 months. You had the lawyer for the guardian ad litem for the child. And then on the other side, you had a lawyer for the biological father of the child and a lawyer for the United States arguing.
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