National Indian Law Library

November 10, 2026

Two petitions for certiorari were denied 11/9/26:

King v. United States (26-5700) (Indian status)
Wahpekeche v. Rogers (26-5447) (state criminal jurisdiction and Indian Country)

Village of Solomon, et al. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division, et al. (Administrative Procedure Act (APA); Clean Water Act (CWA))

S.5694 - A bill to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation, California, and for other purposes.
H.R.10956 - IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2026 / To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations through half-time clinical practice, and for other purposes.

Indian law and the problem of historical rupture.
The Indian treaty power.
The limits of inclusion: Data sovereignty, power, and the All of Us Indigenous cohort.
Polishing the gold standard: Capacity-based reform of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Shareholder rights as the last frontier for Alaska Native Corporations.

This week, in brief:

Tribal officials sound alarm over two threats that could shrink their authority over sacred sites
Minnesota utility regulators grant permit for controversial pipeline to reopen near sacred site
Tribes hope for renewed relationship with Oklahoma under Governor-elect Mazzei
Kalshi hit with injunction over sports contracts on California Tribal lands
For Tribal Nations in Virginia, it’s been a tough year on their sovereignty

The Tribal Supreme Court Project published an Update Memorandum on October 30, 2026.

Provost v. Gant, et al. (voting rights; First Amendment)
Marrowbone, et al. v. Craven, et al. (Tribal membership; Tribal law)
Banley v. Garreau, et al. (Bivens; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
United States, et al. v. FourPoint Resources, LLC, et al. (Tribal law)
Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians v. The Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission, et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Administrative Procedure Act (APA))
Pueblo of Santa Clara, et al. v. National Park Service, et al. (cultural resources; Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA))

This week, in brief:

Federal judge rules Native voters can wear “Natives Vote” shirts at South Dakota polling places
Alaska judge finds Bonanza Channel gold mining proposal unlawful
Northern Arapaho Tribe affirms sovereign authority to regulate access and rights-of-way on Tribal lands
Tribal leaders warned border wall construction would disturb Native American remains. They were right.
Blood quantum, lineal descent and beyond: How do Tribes define citizenship?

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))

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)

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.

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?

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

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