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.

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.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 3/11/2026

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed 3/3/26:

• United States v. Hopson (25-1039) (Major Crimes Act (MCA))

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Farrer v. Cornpeach (civil jurisdiction; law enforcement jurisdiction)
• Torongo, et al. v. United States Department of Interior, Secretary of, et al. (Antiquities Act; cultural property)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3994 - A bill to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize Tribal meat inspection under that Act by Tribal personnel, and for other purposes.
• S.4014 - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Nisqually Indian Tribe the Clear Creek Hatchery infrastructure, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.1089 - Expressing support for the designation of February 2026 as "Hawaiian Language Month" or "'Olelo Hawai'i Month".

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Amendment of Notice of Funds Availability for Native American CDFI Assistance Program; Revised Application Submission Deadline (Treasury)
• Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Requests To Begin Participation in the Tribal Self-Governance Program in Fiscal Year 2027 or Calendar Year 2027 (Interior)
• 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)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• Filling the Tribal court attorney need through Tribes licensing their own attorneys.
• Fractionation by design: Remedy without repair in Indigenous-owned trust allotments.
• "In keeping with the constitution's original design": History and tradition in federal Indian law.
• Indigenous water governance and the Clean Water Act.
• A seat at the table: How Texas v. New Mexico provides Tribes a potential route to assert outstanding water rights claims in water compact disputes.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Michigan Supreme Court to hear Line 5 cases
• Seattle spent years misleading the public about Skagit River salmon. Now it will pay $1 billion for fish passage
• Chuckwalla National Monument’s defenders rally to save it
• Utah lawmakers ask Congress to undo Grand Staircase-Escalante management plan
• How Montana Tribes are using sovereignty to restore their waterways

Announcements

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