The Nisenan's lack of recognition can be traced back to the liquidation of the Rancheria System in California, which initially granted tracts of land to Native American tribes and offered them federal support. Congress slated 41 California Rancherias for termination pursuant to the Rancheria Act of 1958. In the last 25 years, judicial decisions and settlements have restored 27 of the 38 Rancherias that were terminated under the original Rancheria Act. Additional tribes have since been restored through Acts of Congress. However, according to Covert, the Nisenan were the first tribe to be denied restoration of their Rancheria in 2015. This denial was attributed to their application happening outside the six-year statute of limitations, even though all of the tribes that have successfully restored their Rancherias did so outside of that mandated time frame.