State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, whose district includes Whiteclay and who is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said he was glad the “era of suffering and disgrace” was over in the village.

“The Supreme Court ruling today has brought law and order to a forgotten corner of Nebraska,” he said.

Activists have sought for decades to close down the four beer-only liquor stores. They argued that the sales exacerbated alcoholism and other alcohol-related problems on the reservation.

Alcohol sales and alcohol possession are officially banned on the reservation. But an estimated one in four children there is born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause lifelong physical and mental handicaps.

Bob Batt, the Omaha businessman who heads the liquor commission, said Friday there was “zero chance” that the commission would reissue licenses to the beer stores, absent some change in law enforcement there.

If the store owners did reapply, it could trigger months of more legal wrangling.

On April 19, the commission voted 3-0 against renewing the licenses, ruling that law enforcement was inadequate to allow liquor sales in the border village, which has about nine residents and no local police.