Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/26/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority v. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Lease Cancellation; Legal Error)
• Roemen, et al. v. United States, et al. (Federal Tort Claims Act; Tribal Office; 638 Contract)
• R.D. Offutt Farms Co. v. White Earth Division of Natural Resources, et al. (Tribal Water Regulation; Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Mootness)
• Kauth v. Manuel (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Tribal Defendant)
• Village of Dot Lake v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, et al. (Administrative Procedure Act; Tribal Consulation Policy)
• Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians v. Garland, et al. (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act); State Taxes)

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• In re Pabami (Tribal Court Rule Violation; Broadcasting in Court)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Mālama Kakanilua v. Board of Land and Natural Resources and Archaeological Services Hawaii LLC (Cultural Resources/Property)
• In re H.M. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• H.R.2252 - To authorize the relinquishment and in lieu selection of land and minerals in the State of North Dakota, to restore land and minerals to Indian Tribes within the State of North Dakota, and for other purposes.
• H.R.2302 - To take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and for other purposes.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Between empire and state: Haudenosaunee sovereignty at the League of Nations.
• Courts of Indian Offenses, courts of Indian resistance.
• David Getches: A jurist at the service of the Indigenous cause.
• Disenrollment as citizenship revocation: Promoting tribal sovereignty by embracing international norms.
• A horse named “stream depletion theory”: The history and negotiation of the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact.
• The Indian Child Welfare Act, exclusive jurisdiction, and the implicit membership requirement in 25 U.S.C. § 1911(A).
• A tribal-state water compact? Exploring tribal and state sovereign authority, with congressional consent, to quantify tribal water claims.
• Water rights and regional equity: the Animas-La Plata Project and its implications for tribal sovereignty in Southwest Colorado.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Tribal Nations in Michigan withdraw from Line 5 tunnel project discussions
• Billy Frank Jr. statue brings modern representation to U.S. Capitol
• How the Klamath dams came down
• New Mexico Governor signs bill protecting students’ right to wear regalia
• Tribal Nations back Swinomish in legal battle against BNSF Railway Co.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was filed 2/24/25:

• Lexington Insurance Company v. Mueller (24-906) (Jurisdiction Over Nonmembers)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation v. Morse (Regulatory Jurisdiction; Amended Complaint; Futility)
• United States, et al. v. Michigan, et al. (Great Lakes Fishing Decree; Unanimous Consent)
• Erwine v. Churchill County, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Tribal Employees)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Matter of Macon J. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Koi Nation of Northern California v. City of Clearlake (Cultural Resources/Property; Tribal Consultation)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1008 - Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 / A bill to provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and for other purposes.
• S.1055 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to modify the notification requirement for emergency contract health services for certain beneficiaries, and for other purposes.
• S.1084 - A bill to authorize the relinquishment and in lieu selection of land and minerals in the State of North Dakota, to restore land and minerals to Indian Tribes within the State of North Dakota, and for other purposes.
• H.R.2130 - To require the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process and complete all mortgage packages associated with residential and business mortgages on Indian land by certain deadlines, and for other purposes.
• H.R.2236 - To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a demonstration project to allow Tribal entities to purchase agricultural commodities under the commodity supplemental food program, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Notice of Receipt of the Makah Tribe's Permit Request for a Ceremonial and Subsistence Hunt of Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales (Commerce)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• E ola mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaii: Language revitalization, reparations, and the courts.
• Indigenizing the right to a healthy environment.
• Mugshots in Oklahoma: Stigmatizing Native American individuals and communities.
• Our children/our future: Examining how Indigenous Peoples in the US assert self-determination and prioritze child wellbeing.
• Protection or indifference: Why the Arizona v. Navajo Nation decision doesn't hold water.
• TFPA, wildfire mitigation, and advocating for the dissemination of Indigenous knowledge.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Haskell Indian Nations University student suing Trump administration speaks out, talks impacts of fed layoffs
• Wisconsin Tribes urge support for bills, including tribal regalia in school ceremonies
• Trump Administration rolls back executive order on tribal sovereignty and self-governance
• Judge rules Minnesota can prosecute marijuana crimes on reservations even after legalization
• Arizona delegation pushes largest tribal water rights settlement in US history

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/12/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was filed 3/3/25:

• South Point Energy Center v. Arizona Department of Revenue (24-952) (State and Local Taxation)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• United States v. Michigan, et al. (Great Lakes Fisheries Management; Treaty Rights; Amicus Party)
• North Metro Harness Initiative LLC v. Beattie, et al. (Tribal Gaming; Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO); Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Association of Village Council Presidents, et al. v. National Marine Fisheries Service, et al. (Federal Management of Fisheries; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
• Canadian St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians, et al. v. New York, et al. (Motion to Intervene)
• Vipond v. DeGroat, et al. (Tribal Court Jurisdiction; Exhaustion of Tribal Remedies)
• United States, et al. v. State of Washington, et al. (Treaty Fishing Rights; Usual and Accustomed Fishing Places; Marine Waters)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Marvin Keith Stitt v. The City of Tulsa (McGirt v. Oklahoma; Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta; Criminal Jurisdiction)
• In re J.F. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.870 - A bill to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to enhance the longevity, dignity, empowerment, and respect of older individuals who are Native Americans, and for other purposes.
• S.953 - A bill to provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and for other purposes.
• H.R.504 - Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act / To amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize the expansion of the Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out activities to protect structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding, and for other purposes.
• H.R.2025 - To provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and for other purposes.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Actualizing Indigenous data sovereignty through tribal self-governance.
• The amplified federal obligation: Why Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization amplifies the federal government’s obligation to provide comprehensive reproductive health care in Native American communities.
• Benefit corporation - A tool for economic development and fostering sovereignty in tribal business structures.
• How poor is poor enough? How jurisdictional differences in implementing the right to counsel affect indigent Native Americans.
• Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta - Using sentencing inequities to address the Oliphant in the room.
• A tribal court blueprint for the Choctaw Freedmen: Effect of Cherokee Nation v. Nash.
• Tribal eminent domain: Sovereignty gaps and policy solutions.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Tribes, Native American students file lawsuit over Bureau of Indian Education firings
• The case for returning U.S. public lands to Indigenous People
• Gov. Stitt's brother loses appeal of $250 speeding ticket in McGirt-related case
• Native groups urge equal teatment for Tribal Nations in U.S. appellate courts
• Senate committee advances ten bills to strengthen tribal water rights and infrastructure