C- The Cherokee claimed that because they were an independent nation, they could not be governed by state laws.
In the 1831 case, the Supreme Court said it did not have jurisdiction to rule in the case, because the Cherokee could not be considered an independent nation, but rather were a dependent nation within the United States. But it left open the possibility of a "proper case with proper parties." In Worcester v. Georgia (1852), that sort of case was presented and ruled in favor of the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation.