Chief Dwaine Perry of the Ramapough Lenape Nation testifies in October before Judge Roy F. McGeady at the Bergen County Courthouse in a dispute with the township of Mahwah.
HACKENSACK – Despite a ruling in their favor, Mahwah may once again take the Ramapough Lenape Nation to court over tents and other structures on the tribe’s land.
Bergen County’s presiding Municipal Court judge found the tribe guilty of the allegations in November, rejecting the tribe’s argument that they had a constitutional right to the tepees, which are used in religious ceremonies.
During a four-week trial held in October, the tribe’s attorneys invoked First Amendment protections, arguing that the tribe’s right to assemble for religious purposes and build tepees was constitutionally protected.