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.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 7/8/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

Two petitions for certiorari were granted 6/29/26:

• Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota (25-1017) (National Voter Registration Act (NVRA))
• Petersen v. Mi Familia Vota (25-1019) (National Voter Registration Act (NVRA))

One petition for certiorari was filed 6/26/26:

• Perez v. City of San Antonio (26-15) (religious freedom)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation, et al. v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (cultural resources; Tribal consultation)
• Pechanga Band of Indians v. Kennedy, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA))
• King v. Wilcox, et al. (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA))

State Courts Bulletin

• Viva G. v. Department of Family and Community Services (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• Advocacy matters.
• The authenticity thicket.
• Case law on American Indians: September 2024-August 2025.
• The federal trust responsibility and special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction: Restoring justice in Tribal Nations.
• Reading between the treaties: Why the Supreme Court must honor the Indian canons of construction.
• Stability at stake: The effects of overturning Chevron on Indian gaming.
• Tribal Nations as lords of the fee: A common law argument for Tribal discretion in spending federal forfeiture funds.
• Tripartite water cosovereignty.
• Unleashing consultation: Tohono O’odham Nation v. Department of Interior and the case for reforming the National Historic Preservation Act.
• U.S. v. Washington: Considering the continuing injunction of the Boldt decision.
• When knowledge isn't free: Legal and ethical imperatives of protecting Indigenous intellectual property.
• Wild and untamed: The problem of wild horses on federal and Indian lands.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• White House report targets Smithsonian’s treatment of Native history, criticizes ‘stolen land’ narrative
• California’s ban on Native American-themed mascots has been a conversation starter in schools
• California returns stretch of coast to Indigenous Tribes. ‘This is beyond huge’
• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation sues Kansas Lottery, alleges violations of Tribal sovereignty
• White Earth Nation, feds sign funding agreement to co-manage wildlife refuge in NW Minnesota

Announcements

• The Indian Law Bulletins are taking a short break - we will be back in your inbox on Thursday, April 23.