Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/20/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was granted, vacated and remanded 5/18/2026:

• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe (25-253) (Voting Rights Act)

One petition for certiorari was filed 5/4/2026:

• N. R. v. Ellison (25-1287) (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Bowman v. Frank, et al. (Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA); Tribal membership)
• United States v. Thompson (criminal jurisdiction - Indian status)
• Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska v. United States Department of Army, et al. (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA))
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. City of Henryetta, Oklahoma (criminal jurisdiction - Indian country; McGirt v. Oklahoma)
• Alaska Community Action on Toxics, et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et al. (Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
• LaRoche v. Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Corporation (Tribal court; Tribal jurisdiction)

State Courts Bulletin

• Anderson v. Parish (Tribal sovereign immunity, jurisdiction)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.4516 - A bill to require officers and employees of the Department of Homeland Security to receive training with respect to Indian tribes, and for other purposes.
• H.R.8742 - To require officers and employees of the Department of Homeland Security to receive training with respect to tribes, and for other purposes.
• H.R.8824 - To repeal the jurisdiction conferred by section 3243 of title 18, United States Code, to the State of Kansas over offenses committed by or against Indians on Tribal lands in Kansas.

Passed legislation:

• H.R.2815 - Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 / To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and for other purposes was signed by President on 5/19/2026.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Proposed Information Collection Activity; Guidance for Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, ACF-123 (HHS)
• Clean Air Act Tribal Minor New Source Review Permit Issued to Jamul Casino Resort (EPA)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Collective memory & the temporality of justice: Healing trauma across generations after historic injustices.
• “Downstream people:” Lessons from the Tar Creek Superfund site and Quapaw Nation in pursuit of an environmental justice-informed CERCLA regime.
• Redefining global intellectual property: The WIPO Treaty on Genetic Resources and its implications for international law.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Supreme Court sends closely watched Native American voting rights decision back to lower court
• Fourth Circuit rules NAGPRA applies to Carlisle Boarding School children’s remains in Winnebago Tribe case
• Montana Tribes combine traditional knowledge and Western science in climate plan
• New Mexico pueblos sue Kalshi, alleging prediction market violates Tribal gaming sovereignty
• Montana Water Court issues final order approving CSKT water compact

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancies at our Career Center.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/13/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Ho-Chunk Nation v. Kalshi Inc., et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Tribal law)
• The Diocese of Monterey Parish & School Operating Corporation v. Garcia, et al. (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA))
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah v. State of Utah, et al. (Tribal property; jurisdiction - Indian Country)
• Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians v. Blanche, et al. (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT); taxation)
• George v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, et al. (Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA); Tribal law)
• Pechanga Band of Indians v. Kennedy, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.8539 - Truth in National Parks Act / To amend title 54, United States Code, to ensure historically accurate exhibits at National Park Service sites, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.726 - A resolution expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2026, as "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls".

Passed legislation:

• Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025 / 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 became Public Law No: 119-88 on 5/4/2026.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2026 Pacific Whiting Harvest Specifications, 2026 Tribal Allocation, and 2026 Incidental Set-Aside (Commerce)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Next Steps for Tribal TANF Research and Data (New Collection) (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• United States v. McBratney - revived in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta: A call for a legislative fix to repudiate Castro-Huerta.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Inside the Indigenous fight to save Alaska’s Bristol Bay
• ‘Failed experiment in human suffering’: Alligator Alcatraz immigration jail to close
• Mining company pulls out of controversial Pe’ Sla drilling project
• U.S. Interior Department announces Indian Country Violent Crime Task Force
• Montana district court blocks law restricting voter registration hours, allows voter ID law

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancies at our Career Center.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/6/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• United States v. Campbell (criminal jurisdiction; McGirt v. Oklahoma)
• NDN Collective, et al. v. U.S. Forest Service, et al., Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, et al. v. U.S. Forest Service, et al. (religious practices; trust breach)
• Guidiville Rancheria of California v. Ginsburg, et al. (waiver of sovereign immunity)
• State of Wisconsin v. Johnson, Sr., et al. (Tribal law; hunting and fishing rights)
• Heirs of Pope, et al. v. United States (resource management - oil and gas lease; Indian Tucker Act)

State Courts Bulletin

• In re Dependency of M.K. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.8658 - To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to modify the notification requirement for emergency contract health services for certain beneficiaries, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.1257 - Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2026, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls".

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Major Portion Prices and Due Date for Additional Royalty Payments on Gas Produced From Indian Lands in Designated Areas That Are Not Associated With an Index Zone (Interior)
• Treatment of Income From Indian Fishing Rights-Related Activity as Compensation (Treasury)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• The return to autochthonous law.
• Tribal court judgments.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Court clears path for “Alligator Alcatraz” on sacred Tribal land
• Federal court grants two-week mining reprieve at Pe’ Sla
• Indigenous people honor and raise awareness for relatives who are missing or have been killed
• North Dakota Tribal redistricting case still in limbo after Voting Rights Act decision
• Indian Country reacts to the US Supreme Court decision that dismantles the Voting Rights Act

Announcements

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