Indian Law Bulletins Updated 10/28/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Loefer v. Craven, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA))
• Protect the Peninsula's Future, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (Tribal sovereign immunity; subject matter jurisdiction)
• California Valley Miwok Tribe, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (federal recognition; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
• Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana v. United States of America, et al. (resource management; water rights; trust breach)
• Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe v. United States (trust breach)
• Rodgers v. City of Tahlequah, et al. (criminal jurisdiction; Section 1983; Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA))

State Courts Bulletin

• S.H. v. Department of Children and Families (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• State ex rel. Prairie Island Indian Community v. Codispoti (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); Tribal jurisdiction)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.10864 - San Carlos Irrigation Project Divestiture Act of 2026 / To provide for the divestiture of certain properties of the San Carlos Irrigation Project in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Becerra v. San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Indian Self Determination & Education Assistance Act: Keeping Indian Health Services responsible in the wake of forced sterilizations.
• The Declaration of Independence: "Merciless Indian Savages" . . . and more.
• Foreign-trade zones in Indian Country.
• In pursuit of federal recognition: A legal and historical analysis of the Duwamish Tribe’s fight for federal Tribal recognition.
• Inherent rights, imposed borders: Assessing reform of INA § 289 in a restrictive era.
• Native American law explainer.
• Native gifts in an electric universe: Exploring Tribal sovereignty through digital data, spectrum, and technological imaginings.
• Practicing in a sovereign space: Opportunity and complexity in Tribal transactions.
• Tribal civil jurisdiction: Lexington v. Smith and the evolution of the Montana framework.
• Traversing personal injury law in Indian Country.
• When Tribal sovereign immunity and the Americans with Disabilities Act collide, who wins?

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Yakima County Superior Court welcomes first Native American judge Bree Black Horse
• Diné leaders demand the return of Bears Ears, fully intact
• Native inmate files suit against California prison over religious rights
• Oklahoma lawmakers give district attorneys $500K for Tulsa, Muscogee Nation jurisdiction fight
• 'Our vote matters, especially now': Native voters share priorities ahead of midterm elections

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Paralegal in the Boulder office. Learn more at our Career Center.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 10/21/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 10/12/26:

• Jones v. United States (26-515) (Fourth Amendment)

One petition for certiorari was denied 10/19/26:

• New Mexico Trappers Association v. Torrez (26-361) (New Mexico Statute § 17-11-4(H))

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma v. Zeldin, et al. (SAFETEA § 10211, 119 Stat. 1937; Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
• Alegre, et al. v. United States of America, et al. (Tribal membership; Tribal sovereignty)
• United States v. Hebert (criminal jurisdiction - Indian status)
• City of Buffalo v. Seneca, et al. (subject matter jurisdiction; Tribal property)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.10802 - ASSURE Act / Agency Support for Secure and Universal Registration Enhancement Act / To direct heads of Federal agencies to support increased access to voting, and for other purposes.

Passed legislation:

• Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 / A bill to amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes became Public Law No: 119-122 on 10/15/2026.
• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act / A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of Washington into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and for other purposes signed by President on 10/20/2026.
• Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025 / A bill to provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Southcentral Foundation located in Anchorage, Alaska, and for other purposes signed by President on 10/20/2026.
• Chiricahua National Park Act / To redesignate the Chiricahua National Monument in the State of Arizona as Chiricahua National Park, and for other purposes / To establish the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes signed by President on 10/20/2026.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Notice of Supplemented Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
• Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustments; Annual Adjustments (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Tribal federalism: Expanding the Indian gaming paradigm.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Who pays when a remote Alaska village can no longer stay?
• The Tribal Supreme Court Project
• Native organizations demand Tribal consultation over planned National Archives closures
• Tohono O’odham brace for conflict; feds to uproot sacred saguaros
• Court backs EPA giving Oklahoma authority over environmental rules on Tribal lands

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 10/14/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 10/5/26:

• W6LS, Inc., dba WithU and WithU Loans v. Harris (26-467) (Federal Arbitration Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Tohono O'odham Nation v. Mullin, et al. (Tribal property - trespass; Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 62(d))

State Courts Bulletin

• Dash D. v. State of Alaska (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.10791 - Italian Heroes and Heritage Act / To prohibit Federal funds from being provided to any State or local government that celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Further Reducing Bureaucracy and Burden From the Administration for Native Americans (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• From CARE to compliance: Integrating Indigenous data governance into the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
• Making sense of federal recognition.
• Tribal labor sovereignty.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe files lawsuit to shut down Dakota Access Pipeline
• Line 5 pipeline construction crews breach Wisconsin aquifer
• California water plan threatens Klamath salmon restoration, Tribes, advocates say
• The legal roots of ‘Indian’ and ‘Indian Country’
• Tribal Nations urge Supreme Court to halt prediction market sports betting