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

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/5/2025

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

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

• Bibeau v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (24-804) (Federal Income Tax)

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

• United States, et al. v. Osage Wind, LLC, et al. (Trespass; Damages; Stay Judgment Pending Appeal)
• Parrotta v. Island Resort and Casino (Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); Tribal Sovereign Immunity)

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

• Johnson v. Lozeau (Child Custody; Ex Parte Interviews; Mediation)

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

• Pateras v. Armenta (Indian General Welfare Benefits; Child Support)

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

• S.748 - A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.
• S.757 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to recognize Indian tribal governments for purposes of determining under the adoption credit whether a child has special needs.
• S.761 - Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025 / A bill to establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, and for other purposes.
• S.785 - A bill to extend the Alaska Native Vietnam era Veterans Land Allotment Program.
• H.R.474 - Lumbee Fairness Act / To amend the Lumbee Act of 1956.
• H.R.619 - Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation Federal Recognition Act / To extend Federal recognition to the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation, and for other purposes.
• H.R.1647 - To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to implement the Climate Ready Tribes Initiative.
• H.R.1723 - To clarify the rights of Indians and Indian Tribes on Indian lands under the National Labor Relations Act.

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

• Notice of Intended Disinterment From Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery (DoD)

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

• Barriers and opportunities in reporting impaired-driving data from Indian Country.
• “Plants don’t have a culture to appropriate”: Accounting for accusations of cultural appropriation of peyote ceremonies.
• Prescribed burns: The traditional cure for a modern problem.
• Sovereign lands.
• Tradition is a trap.
• We know about the right to bear arms, but what about the rights of Bears Ears.

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

This week, in brief:

• What cuts to the federal government mean for Native American communities
• University of California Native Americans demand action against scholars claiming Indigenous roots without proof
• Colorado recognizes data sovereignty for Tribes
• ‘Rights of nature’ laws take root in the West
• Pushing for their say: Tribes supporting bill to create Indigenous-language compact schools

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/26/2025

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

• Rousseau v. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, et al. (Habeas Corpus; Personal Jurisdiction)
• L.B. v. United States, et al. (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Scope of Employment)
• George v. Colville Confederated Tribes, et al. (Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA); Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• United States v. Haack (Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA); Identity Theft)
• United States v. Young (Peremptory Challenge on the Basis of Race)
• Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Land into Trust; Indian Gaming; Economic Harm)
• Perank, et al. v. United States (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Loss of Water)

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

• Perry v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (Negligence; Ongoing Storm Doctrine)

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

• In re Enbridge Energy to Replace and Relocate Line 5 (Cultural Resources; Michigan Environmental Protection Act)

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

• S.572 - A bill to enhance the effectiveness of the Shadow Wolves Program, and for other purposes.
• S.630 - A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the Quapaw Nation and certain members of the Quapaw Nation in accordance with the recommendation of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and for other purposes.
• S.632 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations through half-time clinical practice, and for other purposes.
• S.637 - A bill to amend the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.
• S.640 - A bill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make a technical correction to the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Trust Fund, to amend the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 to make technical corrections to the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund and Aamodt Settlement Pueblos' Fund, and for other purposes.
• S.642 - A bill to provide compensation to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for the taking without just compensation of land by the United States inside the exterior boundaries of the L'Anse Indian Reservation that were guaranteed to the Community under a treaty signed in 1854, and for other purposes.
• S.643 - A bill to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
• S.673 - A bill 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.
• S.689 - A bill to approve the settlement of the water right claims of the Tule River Tribe, and for other purposes.
• S.699 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to address liability for payment of charges or costs associated with the provision of purchased/referred care services, and for other purposes.
• S.719 - A bill to amend the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to improve that Act, and for other purposes.
• S.723 - A bill 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.1499 - To amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.83 - A resolution designating February 2025 as "Hawaiian Language Month" or "'Olelo Hawai'i Month".

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

This week, in brief:

• Appeals Court upholds MPSC permit for Line 5 tunnel project
• ProPublica updates its database of museums’ and universities’ compliance with federal repatriation law
• Utah bill would disenfranchise rural Native residents, critics warn
• Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes defend Yellowstone bison plan in court
• New bill would transfer ownership of Shawnee Indian Mission to Shawnee Tribe