Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/11/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Avoyelles Water Commission v. Ward 3 Avoyelles Waterworks District (Tribal jurisdiction - Tribal court removal)
• Cranford, II, et al. v. U. S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Tribal recognition; Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA))
• Meilstrup v. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction; Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA))
• Rockboy v. Charles Mix County, et al. (law enforcement jurisdiction)
• Vipond v. DeGroat, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction - Tribal court exhaustion)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Buggy v. Sault Tribe Housing Authority (Tribal law)

State Courts Bulletin

• State of Oklahoma v. Jason Martin Lile (jurisdiction; attorney discipline; conflict of interest)
• In the Matter of: S.A. and J.P., Youths in Need of Care (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.7396 - Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act / To establish an Office of Native American Affairs within the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.601 - A resolution designating the week beginning February 2, 2026, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week".
• H.Res.1045 - Calling on the Secretary of Education to work with stakeholders to immediately eliminate race-based Native logos, mascots, and names from State educational institutions, and calling on State educational institutions and national sports franchises to cease the unsanctioned use of such logos, mascots, and names.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Receipt of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• Applying the Indian Commerce Clause to Indian commerce.
• Indigenous nations and international law: Identifying, sources, and applying Indigenous international law.
• Indigenous theories of international law: Reimagining the legal frameworks through a decolonial lens.
• Native Nations, noncitizens, and the Supremacy Clause.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Gwich’in fight to protect caribou from Alaska oil development
• Oregon, Washington and Tribes head back to court after Trump pulls out of deal to recover salmon
• Washoe Tribe Completes historic 10,274-acre land return near Lake Tahoe
• Fixing one byzantine process would return reservation lands to Tribes and improve landscape health
• Feds greenlight $2B renewable energy project on Yakama Nation sacred site

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 2/4/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Shinnecock Indian Nation v. Hochul, et al. (Tribal property)
• Chase, et al. v. Andeavor Logistics, L.P., et al. (Tribal property; Indian Right-of-Way Act (IRWA))
• Round Valley Indian Tribes, et al. v. Kendall, et al. (criminal jurisdiction; Tribal sovereignty)
• United States v. Ruiz (criminal jurisdiction; Indian status)

State Courts Bulletin

• State of Minnesota v. Thompson (jurisdiction; Public Law 280)
• K.J. v. S.A. (Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• Matter of T.A.G. (Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3767 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health, and for other purposes.
• S.3769 - A bill to amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to clarify that amounts in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Trust Fund may be withdrawn by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.7325 - To establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.1033 - Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning February 2, 2026, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week".

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (Interior)
• Summit Lake Formula Area Expansion (HUD)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• The cloudy future of Alaska's magnificent public lands.
• The Michigan Anishinaabeg.
• The Mono Basin Project: Remedying environmental injustice through Tribal beneficial use designations.
• Native Nations, public lands, and the Trump 2.0 era.
• Public lands and the Supreme Court.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• After scrutiny, Michigan moves to release redacted Native boarding school report
• Trump officials ordered removal of history, science signs at national parks, report says
• Oklahoma Gov. Stitt calls for limits on Tribal sovereignty, Tribal leaders respond
• Court says state cannot prosecute Tribal citizen for cannabis charge on Tribal lands
• Attorneys give Tribal citizens guidance on navigating ICE encounters

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 1/28/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 12/22/25:

• Jacobs v. Oregon Department of Human Services (25-6586) (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Rousseau v. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, et al. (Tribal sovereign immunity; Tribal jurisdiction)
• McClure v. Futrell (Tribal jurisdiction)
• Damron v. Pierce (Tribal jurisdiction)

State Courts Bulletin

• Oenga v. Givens (trust breach)
• In the Matter of the Minnesota Racing Commission's Approval of Running Aces Casino (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.7269 - To amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to clarify that amounts in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Trust Fund may be withdrawn by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Fraser River Panel Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Orders (Commerce)
• Reimbursement Rates for Calendar Year 2026 (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Fletcher's uncertainty principle.
• Fractionation by design: Remedy without repair in Indigenous-owned trust allotments.
• Gorsuch’s dissent and the current state of Navajo water rights claims.
• The new existentialism in Indian law.
• The three phases of the Tribal self-determination era and the phase out of federal paternalism.
• Tribal co-management on ceded lands: A new era?
• Tribes as nations: The future of the trust relationship.
• The unenforceable Indian trust.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Michigan spent $1.1M probing Tribal boarding schools, then buried the results
• Long Island school district must reinstate Native American mascot or face funding cuts, Trump administration says
• Tribes and environmental groups sound alarm about fate of one of Utah’s national monuments, Grand Staircase-Escalante
• Lumbee Tribe buys land off I-95 for possible casino
• The Pentagon is reviewing a program that helps Alaska Native corporations get federal contracts

Announcements

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