April 8, 2026

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 4/8/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

Two petitions for certiorari were denied:

  • Flying T Ranch, Inc. v. Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians (25-987) (Tribal sovereign immunity)
  • Stroble v. Oklahoma Tax Commission (25-382) (state taxation in Indian Country)

Federal Courts Bulletin

  • Frank's Landing Indian Community, et al. v. Enlow (civil jurisdiction; Tribal sovereign immunity)
  • Sepulveda v. Payer, et al. (Tribal law; custodial orders)
  • United States of America v. 20,855.90 Acres of Land, et al. (Tribal property - land into trust)
  • United States v. Goodlow (criminal jurisdiction - Major Crimes Act (MCA))
  • State of Montana, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (treaty rights - standing)
  • Harris, et al. v. W6LS, Inc., et al. (Tribal law; civil jurisdiction - arbitation)
  • Gastanaga v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Federal recognition; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA))
  • Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe v. United States, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA))
  • Corrales v. United States of America, et al. (Federal recognition - Tribal leadership dispute)
  • Poemoceah v. Swenson (sovereign immunity - qualified immunity)
  • Yurok Tribe v. Dowd, et al. (hunting and fishing rights)
  • Farrer v. Cornpeach (civil jurisdiction; Tribal sovereign immunity)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

  • Carey v. Woodall (Tribal jurisdiction; jurisdiction over non-members; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

  • S.4276 - A bill to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.
  • H.R.7957 - Preserve the Traditional Cultural Place Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District Act / To preserve the Traditional Cultural Place of Chi'chil Bildagoteel Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and for other purposes.
  • H.R.8092 - To reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996, and for other purposes.
  • H.R.8188 - To remove certain limitations with respect to road grading under Tribal transportation programs and study the impacts of such removal, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

  • Reversal of Land Acquisition; Koi Nation of Northern California, Shiloh Site, Sonoma County, California (Interior)
  • Reducing Bureaucracy and Burden for Native American Programs (HHS)
  • Alaska Native Claims Selection (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

  • Beyond Tribal exhaustion: Restoring Tribal courts' civil jurisdiction over nonmembers.
  • "In my defense, I have none:" Taylor Swift, Indian law, and a re-examination of custom's inapplicability in the United States.
  • Taxing Indigenous cultural property.
  • The Tribal Energy Act: A necessary step toward the electrification of the Navajo Nation.
  • When you're just not "Indian" enough: The erosion of Tribal sovereignty in State v. Nobles and the case for deference to Tribes on questions of Indian status.
  • White-collar crime in Indian Country: Teaching and researching familiar issues in a unique context.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

  • The Buffalo’s return: new partnerships boost Indigenous-led conservation in Tribal lands
  • Opinion: Syracuse University men’s lacrosse’s ‘burn the boats’ glorifies Indigenous genocide
  • Tribes object as Trump administration moves to reopen Chaco Canyon to drilling
  • Tribal Nations urge appeals court to uphold ICWA in Arizona foster care case
  • Indian Peaks Band appeals federal approval of Utah water project

Announcements

  • The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Director of Development, an Annual Giving and Digital Fundraising Manager, and a Law Fellow in the Boulder office and a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancies at our Career Center.

March 25, 2026

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/25/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One application for injunction was denied 3/19/26:

  • Lopez v. United States (25A1008) (religious freedom)

Two petitions for certiorari were denied 3/23/26:

  • Chinook Indian Nation v. Burgum (25-313) (federal recognition)
  • Jacobs v. Oregon Department of Human Services (25-6586) (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

Federal Courts Bulletin

  • Gardner, et al. v. Ute Tribal Court of the Uintah and Ouray, et al. (criminal jurisdiction; Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA))
  • Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah v. State of Utah, et al. (Tribal property; jurisdiction - Indian Country)
  • Hamilton v. Sharp (criminal jurisdiction - Tribal membership)
  • Villebrun v. Nienaber (Tribal sovereign immunity - Section 1983)
  • Shade v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (Tribal property; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
  • Porrazzo v. State of Nevada, et al. (trust breach - standing)
  • Ormat Nevada Inc. v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (religious practices; resource management)

State Courts Bulletin

  • Kewadin Casinos Gaming Authority v. Patterson Earnhart Real Bird & Wilson LLP (Tribal sovereign immunity)
  • In re L. A. Ledee, Minor. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA); federal recognition)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

  • S.4179 - A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require that equitable distribution of assistance include equitable distribution to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and for other purposes.
  • H.R.8048 - To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require that equitable distribution of assistance include equitable distribution to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and for other purposes.
  • S.Res.650 - A resolution recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

  • Alaska Native Claims Selection (Interior)
  • Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation Projects (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

  • Oh Deer: The Elk court’s misunderstanding of the Citizenship Clause.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

  • Chinook Indian Nation denied recognition in Supreme Court case, vows to ‘continue fight’
  • Oklahoma Supreme Court weighs in on Tribal hunting, fishing rights dispute
  • Last hope to save Apache sacred site Oak Flat fizzles out at Supreme Court
  • Maine Gov. Mills, Wabanaki Nations shelve sovereignty overhaul in compromise measures
  • Native American Rights Fund on the SAVE America Act

Announcements

  • The Indian Law Bulletins are taking a short break - we will be back in your inbox on Wednesday, April 8.
  • The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancy on our website.

March 18, 2026

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/18/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One application for injunction was filed 3/14/26:

  • Lopez v. United States (25A1008) (religious freedom)

Federal Courts Bulletin

  • Perank v. United States (sovereign immunity - discretionary function; water rights)
  • Kozlowicz-Gardner v. Ute Tribal Council Members (Tribal sovereign immunity)
  • Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. City of Tulsa, et al. (criminal jurisdiction; law enforcement jurisdiction)
  • Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, et al. v. United States Forest Service, et al. (cultural property; Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act)
  • In re Ex Parte Search Warrant Application in the Matter of:
    Environmental Protection Agency Administrative Inspection on Ute Tribal Land
    (Tribal property - access permit; Clean Air Act)
  • Peterson v. Harrah's NC Casino Company, LLC, et al. (civil jurisdiction - necessary party)
  • Alegre, et al. v. United States of America, et al. (Tribal membership)
  • Wahpekeche v. Pettigrew (reservation diminishment; criminal jurisdiction)
  • Myers v. The Tulalip Tribes (Tribal jurisdiction - exhaustion; Indian Civil Rights Act)

State Courts Bulletin

  • Matter of L.K. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
  • Matter of S.A.N. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
  • State v. Winckler (jurisdiction)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

  • S.4053 - A bill to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.
  • H.R.7954 - To assist Tribal governments in the management of buffalo and buffalo habitat and the reestablishment of buffalo on Indian land.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

  • Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

  • Federal gatekeeping and hollow sovereignty: A historical statutory analysis of Tribal access to legal representation.
  • The need for special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over drug crimes.
  • Pursuing restorative justice for the legacy of federal Indian boarding schools.
  • Rivers of sovereignty: The EPA’s new water quality standards rule as a potential channel for revitalizing Tribal reserved water rights.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

  • US transfers sacred Oak Flat site to Resolution Copper, dealing blow to Tribal opponents
  • Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining
  • Minnesota’s highest court rejects latest challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act
  • As violent crimes spike on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, support from the federal government is lacking
  • Native Americans could be among the hardest hit by SAVE America Act

Announcements

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