Indian Law Bulletins Updated 12/17/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• LaBatte v. Gangle, et al. (Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction; Sovereign Authority Over Members and Territories)
• McGowan v. Tix, et al. (Tribal Court Jurisdiction; Nonmember Consensual Relationship)
• Perez v. City of San Antonio (Religious Freedom; Injunction Pending Appeal)
• United States v. Bullhead (Tribal Police; Uncounseled Statement; Tribal Court Advocate)
• Bridges, et al. v. Raines, et al. (Tribal Lending; Tribal Law)

State Courts Bulletin

• Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians v. North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3475 - A bill to authorize, ratify, and confirm the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise to Resolve the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim in the State of New York, and for other purposes.
• S.3478 - A bill to assist Tribal governments in the management of buffalo and buffalo habitat and the reestablishment of buffalo on Indian land.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Tribal General Welfare Benefits (IRS)
• Entities Wholly Owned by Indian Tribal Governments (IRS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

Contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article.

• Risk assessment and recidivism among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Persons: A meta-analysis.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• A top Trump official has financial ties to controversial Nevada lithium project
• Tribe considering proposal to make all members 100% Crow blood quantum
• Federal court dismisses challenge to NY Indigenous mascot ban
• Woman sues state over alleged sexual abuse while in foster care
• Tribal ID refused at North Dakota liquor store raises questions about state law

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancy on our website.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 12/10/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Jones, et al. v. Turning Stone Enterprises LLC, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Employee Benefits)
• Portnoy v. Meza, et al. (Tribal Officers; Under Color of Tribal Law)

State Courts Bulletin

• Interest of A.D.-B. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3358 - A bill to assist Indian Tribes in protecting Native American seeds, and for other purposes.
• S.3375 - A bill to amend the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Culture and Art Development Act to modify the program for Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native culture and arts development, and for other purposes.
• S.3383 - Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025 / A bill to amend the Act of August 9, 1955, to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.
• H.R.6391 - To repeal section 3003 of Public Law 113-291, and for other purposes.
• H.R.6415 - To assist Indian Tribes in protecting Native American seeds.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• More than Morrill: The intertwined history of Indian land dispossession, Arizona statehood, and university enrichment.
• The slow genocide of Indigenous Nations and Peoples: Hiding in plain sight.
• Trust and treaty obligations for radio astronomy on Native Nations.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Final defense legislation grants federal recognition to Lumbee Tribe
• Klamath Tribes seek to reverse judge’s removal in water rights case
• Legislation will protect wildlife, Indigenous sites, water resources at Oak Flat
• “Our sovereignty is not optional”: Tulalip responds to ICE actions
• Proposed new WOTUS definitions and impacts on Tribes

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancy on our website.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 12/3/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Village of Hobart, Wisconsin v. United States Department of The Interior, et al. (Fee to Trust; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))

State Courts Bulletin

• Columbia Riverkeeper v. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (Fishing Rights)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.6206 - To protect the confidentiality of culturally sensitive information.
• H.R.6343 - To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to extend education grant programs for Alaska Native serving institutions and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund (CHEF) Threshold (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

Contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article.

• A comparison of inadequate doctrines: The Canadian “honour of the Crown” and the U.S. federal trust responsibility.
• “My museum’s reluctant undertakers”: Repatriation after the 2023 NAGPRA rule.
• Re-imagine paradise: The impacts of the illegal annexation of Hawai'i & tourism on Native Hawaiians.
• West Flagler and the future of sports betting: Navigating Tribal sovereignty and the need for consumer protection in a growing market.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Oklahoma asks SCOTUS to ignore Muscogee citizen tax dispute or 'revisit McGirt' ruling
• Leger Fernández introduces bill to protect sacred Tribal sites, cultural items, & practices from public disclosure
• Hawaiʻi Island chosen to host prestigious international Indigenous conference in 2028
• Indigenous actor Elaine Miles says ICE called her Tribal ID ‘fake’
• ‘An honor and such a blessing’: People come together to mourn and learn from beached whale in Oregon

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancy on our website.