Constitutional protections including the provisions of the Bill of Rights do not apply to the actions of American Indian tribal governments. Decided May 18, 1896 (argued April 16, 1896). Opinion of the Court: White Dissenting: Harlan. Topic: Native American law. Talton v. Mayes, 163 U.S. 376 (1896), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case, in which the court decided that the individual rights protections, which limit federal, and later, state governments, do not apply to tribal government. It reaffirmed earlier decisions, such as the 1831 Cherokee Nation v. Georgia case, that gave Indian tribes the status of "domestic dependent nations," the sovereignty of which is independent of the federal government. Wiki link