In late December, Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would formally recognize the Montaukett Nation. This, despite the fact that there was broad support for the legislation, which passed the State Assembly unanimously and the State Senate in a vote of 59-1.

The bill sought to reinstate recognition to the Montaukett Nation by reversing a 1910 court ruling that improperly stripped it away by ignoring an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision under which the nation would have qualified for recognition. It was the seventh time in recent years that such a bill has died on the New York governor’s desk.

This week, the editors are joined by reporters Michael Wright and Jack Motz as well as Montaukett Executive Director and Government Affairs Officer Sandi Brewster-walker, who has worked extensively over the past decade to gain state recognition, and State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni, the bill’s co-sponsor, to talk about why this has been such an uphill battle for the Montauketts.