Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/18/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, et al. v. Drummond, et al. (criminal jurisdiction - McGirt v. Oklahoma)
• Becker v. Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction - Tribal court exhaustion)

State Courts Bulletin

• Interest of S.M. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• Interest of D.G. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• In the Interest of M.W.-T. and C.W.-T. (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3859 - A bill to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993 with respect to future membership in the Catawba Indian Nation.
• S.3878 - A bill to establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
• H.R.6777 - Oregon Owyhee Wilderness and Community Protection Act / To provide for the establishment of a grazing management program on Federal land in Malheur County, Oregon, and for other purposes.
• H.R.7490 - To allow the U.S. Marshals Service to assist in certain Tribal criminal matters, and for other purposes.
• H.R.7515 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Nisqually Indian Tribe the Clear Creek Hatchery infrastructure.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Alaska Native Claims Selection (Interior)
• Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Assessment; Initiation of Public Scoping Under the National Environmental Policy Act; Initiation of Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and Notice of Intent To Develop a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement With the Alaska State Historic Preservation Officer (EPA)
• Clean Air Act Tribal Minor New Source Review Permit Issued to Lupton Plant Property, LLC and Lupton Petroleum Products Inc., for the Lupton Facility (EPA)
• Proposed Information Collection Activity; Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Template (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Bad tenants: Public trust and the constitutional duty to closely re-examine U.S. military presence in Hawai'i.
• Cutting the Gordian Knot of civil liability: Cross-deputization agreements as a remedy to jurisdiction and liability concerns for Indian Country in Oklahoma.
• A historical review of congressional plenary power and Tribal treaties and the implications following Herrera.
• A survivor's tale: How the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma survived the tidal wave collision of McGirt v. Oklahoma.
• Unethical business practices plague Native American cultures and economies – solutions to the ineffectiveness of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Judge upholds permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around reservation
• LandBack advances across the West
• Alaska Native Corporations push back as Pentagon targets 8(a) program
• Tribal IDs for descendants in the age of Trump’s ICE
• DHS Secretary Noem tells Tribes ICE does not target Native Americans

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 2/11/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Avoyelles Water Commission v. Ward 3 Avoyelles Waterworks District (Tribal jurisdiction - Tribal court removal)
• Cranford, II, et al. v. U. S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Tribal recognition; Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA))
• Meilstrup v. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction; Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA))
• Rockboy v. Charles Mix County, et al. (law enforcement jurisdiction)
• Vipond v. DeGroat, et al. (Tribal jurisdiction - Tribal court exhaustion)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Buggy v. Sault Tribe Housing Authority (Tribal law)

State Courts Bulletin

• State of Oklahoma v. Jason Martin Lile (jurisdiction; attorney discipline; conflict of interest)
• In the Matter of: S.A. and J.P., Youths in Need of Care (Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.7396 - Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act / To establish an Office of Native American Affairs within the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.601 - A resolution designating the week beginning February 2, 2026, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week".
• H.Res.1045 - Calling on the Secretary of Education to work with stakeholders to immediately eliminate race-based Native logos, mascots, and names from State educational institutions, and calling on State educational institutions and national sports franchises to cease the unsanctioned use of such logos, mascots, and names.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Receipt of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Applying the Indian Commerce Clause to Indian commerce.
• Indigenous nations and international law: Identifying, sources, and applying Indigenous international law.
• Indigenous theories of international law: Reimagining the legal frameworks through a decolonial lens.
• Native Nations, noncitizens, and the Supremacy Clause.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Gwich’in fight to protect caribou from Alaska oil development
• Oregon, Washington and Tribes head back to court after Trump pulls out of deal to recover salmon
• Washoe Tribe Completes historic 10,274-acre land return near Lake Tahoe
• Fixing one byzantine process would return reservation lands to Tribes and improve landscape health
• Feds greenlight $2B renewable energy project on Yakama Nation sacred site

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 2/4/2026

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Shinnecock Indian Nation v. Hochul, et al. (Tribal property)
• Chase, et al. v. Andeavor Logistics, L.P., et al. (Tribal property; Indian Right-of-Way Act (IRWA))
• Round Valley Indian Tribes, et al. v. Kendall, et al. (criminal jurisdiction; Tribal sovereignty)
• United States v. Ruiz (criminal jurisdiction; Indian status)

State Courts Bulletin

• State of Minnesota v. Thompson (jurisdiction; Public Law 280)
• K.J. v. S.A. (Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))
• Matter of T.A.G. (Tribal jurisdiction; Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.3767 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health, and for other purposes.
• S.3769 - A bill to amend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989 to clarify that amounts in the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Trust Fund may be withdrawn by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.7325 - To establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.1033 - Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning February 2, 2026, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week".

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (Interior)
• Summit Lake Formula Area Expansion (HUD)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• The cloudy future of Alaska's magnificent public lands.
• The Michigan Anishinaabeg.
• The Mono Basin Project: Remedying environmental injustice through Tribal beneficial use designations.
• Native Nations, public lands, and the Trump 2.0 era.
• Public lands and the Supreme Court.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• After scrutiny, Michigan moves to release redacted Native boarding school report
• Trump officials ordered removal of history, science signs at national parks, report says
• Oklahoma Gov. Stitt calls for limits on Tribal sovereignty, Tribal leaders respond
• Court says state cannot prosecute Tribal citizen for cannabis charge on Tribal lands
• Attorneys give Tribal citizens guidance on navigating ICE encounters

Announcements

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