Indian Law Bulletins Updated 8/5/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 7/24/26:

• Teck Metals Ltd. v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (26-130) (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); cultural resources)

The Tribal Supreme Court Project published an Update Memorandum on August 1, 2026.

Federal Courts Bulletin

• United States v. Beard (criminal jurisdiction - Indian status)
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation v. United States, et al. (Tribal property; reservation diminishment)
• Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation v. Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., et al. (resource management; Tribal property - trespass)
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (water rights; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
• Bayles, et al. v. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, et al. (Tribal sovereign immunity; Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA))

State Courts Bulletin

• Michael Hornbostel v. Town of Lac Du Flambeau (indispensable party; Tribal sovereign immunity; Tribal jurisdiction)
• In re Enbridge Energy (treaty rights; cultural resources; Michigan Environmental Protection Act (MEPA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.5240 - A bill to amend the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish a budgetary Tribal Government consultation process at the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation Projects (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• Death, culture and a system in transition.
• The future is taking bets.
• Rights of nature, reconciliatory justice, and national parks: Evaluating the Te Urewera model for Redwood National and State Parks.
• Testing McGirt.
• Time is of the essence.
• Tribal banishment and disenrollment in Arizona's Indian Country.
• When sacred land is not enough.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Michigan Supreme Court rejects permit for Enbridge oil pipeline under Great Lakes
• Federal appeals court affirms Enbridge trespassed on Bad River Reservation, orders Line 5 reroute
• How a Utah Republican’s quiet battle for hunting access undercut the Ute Indian Tribe’s land back hopes
• 3 things to know about federal lawsuits and local law enforcement on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation
• Colorado River Indian Tribes pushes back on federal water plan

Announcements

• The Indian Law Bulletins are taking a short break - we will be back in your inbox on Wednesday, August 19.
• The Native American Rights Fund has partnered with ZRG Aspen Leadership Group in the search for a Chief Operating Officer. You may view the position prospectus or submit an application at Aspen Leadership Group's website.
• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Legal Practice Manager in the Boulder office. Learn more at our Career Center.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 7/29/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 7/20/26:

• Department of Interior v. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation (26-96) (Federal Land Policy and Management Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• The Northern Cheyenne Tribe v. The United States of America, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA))

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Gina Louise Lambert v. Mads Gjesdal (jurisdiction over non-members)
• In the Interest of Minor Child: [Redacted], DOB [Redacted] (Tribal law; Hocąk Nation Children & Family Act)
• Annie Cantrell v. Fort Peck Tribes (Tribal jurisdiction)

State Courts Bulletin

• In re X.A. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• In the Interest of K.B. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.5056 - CDC Tribal Public Health Security and Preparedness Act / A bill to improve State, local, and Tribal public health security.
• S.5132 - A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow for dual enrollment in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the food distribution program on Indian reservations.
• H.R.9820 - CDC Tribal Public Health Security and Preparedness Act / To improve State, local, and Tribal public health security.
• H.R.9935 - To improve the Indian School Equalization Formula of the Bureau of Indian Education, and for other purposes.
• H.R.9973 - To improve the Indian School Equalization Formula and Indian School Equalization Program of the Bureau of Indian Education, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Notice of Final Issuance on the Adoption of Administration for Native Americans Program Policies and Procedures (HHS)
• Final Waivers and Extensions of the Project Periods With Funding for the Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP) (Education)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• The federal trust responsibility in an era of coastal retreat: Climate relocation, fiduciary governance, and the future of Tribal self-determination.
• Four decades, no progress: Time for a Columbia River Basin compact.
• A guide along the spirit road: NAGPRA, culturally unidentifiable human remains, and deference to oral tradition.
• High stakes and holy land: Mormonism, IGRA, and the gamble on Tribal gaming in Utah.
• Land forward: Planning for legal reforms to facilitate land back and community-driven relocation in response to climate change.
• Rethinking Lyng: Applying the Equal Liberty Approach to sacred sites.
• Settler retrenchment.
• Transnational Indigenous advocacy networks and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Environmentalists, Tribes sue feds over renewed approval of Mojave Desert pipeline
• Lawsuits seek to overturn permit for road construction through Alaska wildlife refuge
• Data sharing agreements must be led by Tribal voices, according to Pew report
• Lummi Nation granted small win in sacred burial site lawsuit
• Indigenous leaders give the UN a roadmap for protecting their peoples

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund has partnered with ZRG Aspen Leadership Group in the search for a Chief Operating Officer. You may view the position prospectus or submit an application at Aspen Leadership Group's website.
• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Legal Practice Manager in the Boulder office. Learn more at our Career Center.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 7/23/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 7/7/26:

• Wilton Rancheria v. Unite Here International Union (26-39) (Tribal law; Federal Arbitration Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Metlakatla Indian Community v. Dunleavy, et al. (fishing rights)
• Lummi Nation v. Whidbey Telephone Company, et al. (cultural resources; Tribal consultation)
• Smith, et al. v. United States (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA))
• Lower Brule Sioux Tribe v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA); Tribally Controlled Schools Act (TCSA))
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, et al. v. Howe, et al. (Voting Rights Act (VRA))
• McClamary v. D&L Real Estate Enterprises, LLC, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction; civil jurisdiction)

State Courts Bulletin

• Maui Tomorrow Foundation v. Maui Planning Commission (Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA); resource management)
• Erin I. v. Department of Family & Community Services (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• Matter of M.A.D. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.4976 - A bill to improve outcomes for Native children by empowering Tribal communities, strengthening families, and increasing access to critical services, and for other purposes.
• H.R.9604 - Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act / To ensure the Department of Interior will manage all Tribal education and job training, and for other purposes.
• H.R.9621 - Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act of 2026 / To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow for the taking of pinnipeds on the Columbia River, its tributaries, and the waters of the State of Washington to protect species of salmon listed as endangered species or threatened species and other nonlisted species of fish, and for other purposes.
• H.R.9637 - Protecting Columbia River Salmon Act of 2026 / To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize intentional lethal take by certain Indian Tribes of California sea lions and Steller sea lions in a specified portion of the Columbia River, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Filing of Survey Plats: Alaska (Interior)
• FY 2026 Job Placement and Training-Native American Technology and Manufacturing Grant Pilot Program (IGNITE: Indigenous Growth in New & Innovative Trade Employment); Solicitation of Proposals (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• How Indian law can take on prediction market giants.
• I didn't get justice, but I was well-represented: How legal representation matters in Native communities.
• State tax exemptions for Tribal cultural property.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Line 5 opponents furious with permitting decision
• Trump moves to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bears Ears; Tribes condemn decision as attack on consultation and cultural heritage
• Data centers are booming. Indigenous leaders want help protecting their lands.
• 6 years post-McGirt ruling, Choctaw court system managing caseload expanded by 1,000%
• ‘This is in your hands.’ | Native leaders urge lawmakers to take action on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund has partnered with ZRG Aspen Leadership Group in the search for a Chief Operating Officer. You may view the position prospectus or submit an application at Aspen Leadership Group's website.
• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Legal Practice Manager in the Boulder office. Learn more at our Career Center.