Indian Law Bulletins Updated 10/1/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Barrick v. Board of County Commissioners of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, et al. (Section 1983; Wrongful Death; Tribal Authority)
• Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Tribal Contract; Healthcare; Fiduciary Duties)
• Darden v. Vines, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Tanner-Brown v. Burgum, et al. (Freedmen; Trust or Fiduciary Duties)
• Portnoy v. Meza, et al. (Tribal Regulatory Agency; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Alyssa Louise Roseman v. Zachary Quinn Roseman (Tribal Law)

State Courts Bulletin

• In re A.M. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Matter of S. H. A. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Betsy F. v. Department of Family & Community Services (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Commonwealth v. One (1) Check in the Amount of $480.00 for 1,600 Pieces of Wild Oysters (Fishing Rights)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.5392 - Northern Arizona Protection Act / To nullify Presidential Proclamation 10606, establishing Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and withdrawing certain land in Arizona from mineral entry, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.419 - A resolution expressing support for the designation of September 2025 as "Hawaiian History Month" to recognize the history, culture and contributions of Native Hawaiians and reaffirm the United States Federal trust responsibility to the Native Hawaiian Community to support their well-being.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Receipt of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
• Receipt of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; American Indian and Alaska Natives Facility Condition, Location, and Ownership Survey (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Achieving public safety within transboundary Tribes: Challenges and paths forward.
• The “categorical approach” that often hinders application of the Habitual Offender Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 117, to violations of Tribal law.
• The Department of Justice’s role in addressing the incidence of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons.
• Indigenous reconciliation and development.
• The Tribal warrants loophole: The Washington solution.
• The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022 and the return of Tribal criminal authority in Alaska.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Orange Shirt Day marks legacy of Indigenous boarding schools
• Ojibwe have been trying to regain land taken in mid-1800s. Slowly, they've had success.
• Tule River Tribe sponsors bill for students to have right to wear regalia
• In Alaska, a graphite mine races toward approval without the required Tribal consent
• Federal government awards $15 million to support first culturally-centered domestic violence hotline for 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 9/24/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed on 9/15/2025:

• Alaska v. United States (25-320) (Fishing Regulation; Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act)

One petition for certiorari was filed on 9/12/2025:

• Chinook Indian Nation v. Burgum (25-313) (Federal Recognition)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Walden v. The City of Duncan, Oklahoma, et al. (Section 1983; Under Color of Tribal Law)
• Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, et al. v. Mundahl, et al. (Tribal Court Jurisdiction; Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA))
• Osage Nation v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA); Sovereign Immunity)

State Courts Bulletin

• In re Application of Enbridge Energy to Replace and Relocate Line 5 (Cultural Resources; Michigan Environmental Protection Act)
• Akana v. Hawai'i State Ethics Commission (Jurisdiction; Hawai‘i State Ethics Code)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2832 - A bill to establish an Office of Native American Affairs within the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
• S.2871 - A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, and for other purposes.
• H.R.5488 - To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to extend funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.
• H.R.5515 - To amend the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Withdrawal of Notices Inviting Applications (NIA) and Cancellation of the Competitions for the Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Part A (ANNH Part A), Strengthening Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Part A (AANAPISI Part A), Strengthening Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions Part A (NASNTI Part A) and Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions programs (DHSI) (Education)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Collaborative management of Bears Ears National Monument: Perspectives from the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
• From the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the Paris Agreement: Embedding Indigenous human rights in international environmental governance.
• Leveraging the federal trust responsibility to safeguard net neutrality on Tribal lands.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Michigan Supreme Court to hear Line 5 permit appeals
• Alaska wants U.S. Supreme Court to hear battle over salmon
• North Dakota releases first updated Tribal textbook; more on the way
• Native groups file Supreme Court brief supporting rights of incarcerated Indigenous People
• Alaska Republicans push for federal study of ranked choice voting

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 9/17/2025

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Ho-Chunk Nation Election Board v. Tahdooahnippah (Tribal Elections)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2771 - A bill to amend the Indian Self-Determination Act and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to provide advance appropriations authority for certain accounts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education of the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services, and for other purposes.
• S.2796 - A bill to provide for a land exchange in San Bernardino County, California, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4584 - To make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions which were formerly classified to chapters 14 and 19 of title 25, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors.
• H.R.5257 - To reaffirm the trust status of land taken into trust by the United States pursuant to the Act of June 18, 1934, for the benefit of an Indian Tribe that was federally recognized on the date that the land was taken into trust.
• H.R.5327 - To extend Federal recognition to the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, and for other purposes.
• H.R.5328 - To amend the Indian Self-Determination Act and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to provide advance appropriations authority for certain accounts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education of the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services, and for other purposes.
• H.R.5378 - To provide a set-aside of funds for Indian populations under the health profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of the Social Security Act, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Statement of Findings: Navajo-Utah Water Rights Settlement (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Beyond binary co-sovereignty: Native Nations & water compacts.
• Can Tribal sovereign immunity undermine judicial review under the APA: Maverick Gaming LLC v. United States.
• Compendium of exhibits from the papers of Supreme Court justices.
• Damned if you do, dammed if you don't: Solutions for the Snake River and the Nez Perce Tribe.
• Discovering the Doctrine of Discovery.
• Indian casinos under the big sky: Why Tribes in other states have been more successful with gaming and the path forward for Montana's Tribes.
• Indian water rights settlements and the Animas-La Plata project: A self-fulfilling prophecy of dependency.
• Making space for sacred lands: From the harsh glare of Lyng to Apache Stronghold.
• A reciprocity: Off-reservation treaty hunting rights.
• Repatriation as reparations.
• Tribal sovereign immunity: Absolute authority or accountability.
• Uses and abuses of Johnson v. M'Intosh in Native American land rights cases: Investigative insights from the Indian law justice files.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Oregon resumes legal battle after Trump administration abandons historic Columbia River agreement
• New Mexico Tribal leaders push to protect Chaco
• Nez Perce Tribe lawsuit to halt Central Idaho gold mine clouds federal approval
• Prairie Island Indian Community welcomes home ancestral remains
• US House backs Lumbee Tribe, tying its status to a military spending bill

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 9/10/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed on 9/2/25:

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

Federal Courts Bulletin

• New Mexico Trappers Association, et al. v. Torrez, et al. (Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act; Equal Protection; Ripe for Review)
• United States v. Hatley (General Crimes Act; Indian Status)
• Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians v. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, et al. (Treaty Fishing Rights; Usual and Accustomed)
• Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, et al. v. Teck Cominco Metals Ltd (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Lost Use of Natural Resources)
• Baltas, et al. v. Chapdelaine, et al. (Qualified Immunity; Free Exercise; Native American Religion)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2735 - A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.5144 - Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, Federal Recognition Act / To extend Federal recognition to the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe of Southampton County, Virginia, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Revising Residency Requirements for the Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Program (HUD)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Arizona v. Navajo Nation's impact on the United States - Indian trust framework.
• Indigenous Peoples, private law, and climate change.
• The medical expense deduction: Physicians, medicine men, and spirituality.
• Rights of nature: Fact and fiction.
• The selling of our sisters: Trafficking Native women and girls in the United States.
• WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Traditional Knowledge: Promoting transparency and inclusivity in the patent system.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Army cemeteries to repatriate Native American remains from Carlisle
• Navajo Nation Council considers new legislation to increase investments in Tribal education
• New York settles decades-long land dispute with Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, restoring land to group
• Raising voices for incarcerated Native Peoples and defending Indigenous traditions
• Native American voters bring Voting Rights Act case to the Supreme Court

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 9/3/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Delegation of Statutory Authority)
• Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians v. Pope Flores, et al. (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO))
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation v. United States (Fifth Amendment Taking of Land; Parallel Suit; Stay Proceedings)
• State of California, et al. v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Indispensable Party; Public Rights Exception)
• Toyukak, et al. v. Dahlstrom, et al. (Voting Rights Act (VRA); Effective Language Assistance)

State Courts Bulletin

• Matter of Dependency of C.J.J.I. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Melius v. Songer (Indian Child Welfare Act)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• 25 years in the making: The WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge.
• American Indian geopolitical rights.
• Civilized enough to tax: Natives as federal income taxpayers.
• Developing an Indigenized limitations and exceptions framework within the global intellectual property system.
• Facilitating benefit sharing through disclosure.
• Introduction: Traditional knowledge and property in moral communities.
• Landscape and law: Territoriality and rights in knowledge.
• Making room at the table: Theoretical foundations and practical implications of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge.
• Natural rights and ancestral writings.
• Secret traditions as trade secrets.
• Traditional knowledge and the limits of property.
• Tribal lay advocates expand access to justice.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• In far northeastern Maine, a Native community fights to adapt to climate change
• Tribes call on Trump to ‘do right for Indian Country,’ return federal land within Wind River Reservation’s bounds
• The federal government is deregulating contracting. Alaska Native organizations wonder if it will hurt their business.
• State mulls how to better track federal funding impacts to New Mexico Pueblos, Tribes
• Alaska vowed to resolve murders of Indigenous People. Now it refuses to provide their names.

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 August 27, 2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall Reservation v. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA); Tribal Land Cession Agreement)
• Halverson v. Burgum (Sovereign Immunity; Settlement Agreement; Allotment Lands)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Hazelton v. Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Indians (Subject Matter Jurisdiction; Right of Way)
• Fort Peck Tribes v. Desiree Scheaffer (Indian Civil Rights Act; Probable Cause)
• In the Matter of: MH, TH, TD and Concerning Katrina Follet v. Ernesto Hernandez (Child Custody; Motion for Review; Failure to Appear)

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish (Commerce)
• Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish (Commerce)
• Receipt of Request for Authorization To Re-Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
• Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation Projects (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Can the Roberts Court find federal Indian law?
• Federal Indian law in a time of judicial self-aggrandizement.
• Homelands not graveyards.
• Indigenous Peoples in international (treaty) diplomacy.
• Indigenous rights to culture: What’s next?
• "The seed is the law": Creating new governance frameworks for Indigenous heirloom seeds and traditional knowledge.
• Separation-of-powers formalism and federal Indian law: The question of executive order reservations.
• The Supreme Court’s old habits in a new era? Native Nations, statehood, and an Indigenous-led future for natural resources.
• Tribal law innovations in Native governance.
• Tribal revestiture.
• Tribal sovereignty, Justice Gorsuch, and the letter of the law.
• What we talk about when we talk about (Indian) sovereignty: Montana and the application of general statutes to Tribes.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Federal appeals court preserves Alaska’s two-tier system for subsistence fishing management
• Justice Gorsuch and what is owed to American Indians
• Courts, treaties, and power — A conversation with John Echohawk
• Oklahoma governor takes aim at Tulsa mayor’s decision to prosecute crimes in Tribal courts
• The Colorado River is this Tribe’s ‘lifeblood,’ now they want to give it the same legal rights as a person

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 August 20, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed on 8/8/25:

• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians v. Michigan (25-165) (Treaty Fishing Rights)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• United States, et al. v. The State of Alaska, et al. (Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act; Katie John) Trilogy
• Hill, et al. v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Water Rights Settlement; Allottee Water Rights)
• Unnamed Mother v. United States (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Coordination with Tribal Law Enforcement)
• Lopez, et al. v. United States, et al. (Religious Freedom; Free Exercise; Injuntion Pending Appeal)
• California v. Del Rosa, et al. (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act); Sanctions)
• Welsh, et al. v. Loudbear, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• San Carlos Apache Tribe v. United States Forest Service, et al. Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, et al. v. United States Forest Service, et al. (Land Exchange; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Preliminary Injunction)
• Birdbear et al. v. United States (Trust Relationship; Mineral Leasing)
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community v. Kennedy, et al. (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA); Contract Support Costs)
• Perez v. City of San Antonio (Preliminary Injunction; Likelihood of Success)
• Eggers v. Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations, et al. (Employment Discrimination; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Channing, et al. v. Seneca-Cayuga Nation, et al. (Administrative Procedures Act; Secretarial Election)
• Ultraclean Fuel (Transmix), LLC v. LDC Energy, LLC (Exhaustion of Tribal Remedies)
• Nansemond Indian Nation, et al. v. Commonwealth of Virginia, et al. (Tribal Health Program Compensation; Immunity)
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation v. Ure, et al. (Sale of Trust Lands; Civil Rights Acts; Sovereign Immunity)
• United States v. Town of Lac du Flambeau, et al. (Right-of-Way Easement; Administrative Procedures Act)

State Courts Bulletin

• Matter of T.A.G. (Indian Child Welfare Act; Tribal Jurisdiction)
• In re Disciplinary Action Against Martins (Tribal Jurisdiction)

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Tribal Consultation for SBA's Office of Capital Access and Access to All Agency Financial Assistance, Contracting, Business Counseling and Technical Assistance Programs, Identifying Issues and Best Practices (SBA)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Against judicial generalists.
• Assimilation, continued: Mitigating Castro-Huerta in the context of Tribal air pollution regulation.
• Charitable donations: NAGPRA regulations prompt valuation questions for repatriated Native American cultural objects.
• Judicial imperialism: The Supreme Court’s assault on Tribal sovereignty and the rule of law.
• Mining association position statement on Indigenous Peoples: Respect for their rights advanced, with some shortcomings.
• The North American gap ungulates must migrate physically and legally: Elk as a case study.
• The right to protest in Indian Country.
• Tribes in the text: How state constitutions structure governmental relationships with Native Tribes.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Appeals court blocks Oak Flat land swap, giving copper mine opponents a late reprieve
• Tribes, NARF join legal fight to protect Chuckwalla National Monument
• Public hearings kick off over disputed Enbridge Line 5 reroute
• Lawsuit filed: county must update voting map so Chippewa Cree votes also count
• Some Oklahoma towns still ticket Tribal citizens, in violation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling

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 August 6, 2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Fletcher, et al. v. United States (Breach of Trust; Prior Settlement Agreement; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Ransom v. GreatPlains Finance, LLC, et al. (Tribal Lending; Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Tribal Entity)
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians v. United States Department of Health and Human Services (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance (ISDEA); Healthcare Funds Compensation)
• United States v. Peshlakai (Treaty Rights; Navajo Nation Detainer Statute)
• United States, et al. v. Fourpoint Resources, LLC (Intervention; Environmental Enforcement Action; Tribal Consultation)
• Village of Dot Lake v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, et al. (Administrative Procedure Act; Tribal Consulation Policy)
• United States v. Hopson (Major Crimes Act (MCA); Subject Matter Jurisdiction; Lesser Offense)
• Cayuga Nation v. New York State Gaming Commission, et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Equity Jurisdiction)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• In the matter of: application of candidacy for Birdtown Tribal Council of Patrick H. Lambert (Tribal Elections)

State Courts Bulletin

• Matter of J.B. (Indian Child Welfare Act; Tribal Jurisdiction)
• In re Ja.O. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2554 - A bill to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes.
• S.2564 - A bill to ensure all federally recognized Tribes that are eligible for gaming in the United States are regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and for other purposes.
• S.2577 - A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the right of members of a federally recognized Indian Tribe in the United States and First Nations individuals in Canada to cross the borders of the United States.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish (Commerce)
• Finding of Failure To Attain and Reclassification of Area in New York as Serious for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards-Shinnecock Indian Nation (EPA)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Beyond bingo: How class II bingo-based "slot machines" are reshaping Tribal-state dynamics.
• Economic development for Native Nevada: How Indian gaming can further Tribal self-determination.
• Keynote speech from the 2025 Indian Nations Gaming & Governance Program Symposium.
• An old law with new tricks? The prospects and pitfalls of using the Antiquities Act of 1906 to shape climate policy on federal lands.
• Overcoming the barriers that Native Americans face in the voting process. (written by NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De Leon)
• Protecting Native knowledge systems? Implementing WIPO's GRATK Treaty.
• Returning Hawaiian land to Hawaiian hands.
• Should Tribes "ban the box"?
• Skilled nursing and assisted living in Indian Country.
• Tort claims in Indian Country.
• Tribal Nations and the use of AI.
• Tribal programs remain intact despite DEI orders.
• Tribal recognition and Rhode Island: Towards a recognition process for the Ocean State.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• The importance of the Voting Rights Act for Indian Country (written by NARF Executive Director John Echohawk)
• With reforms in place, California’s Karuk Tribe works to reestablish cultural burning as 'common practice'
• Rural communities, Tribes sue EPA over $2.8 billion in canceled funding for flood mitigation and resilience projects
• 'It's insulting': Feds decline to review approval of drilling at planned copper mine
• Reopen Alcatraz? Indigenous People say it’s more than madness – it’s historical erasure

Announcements

• The Indian Law Bulletins are taking a short break next week. We'll be back with the next update on August 20th.
• 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 7/30/25

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Colombe, et al. v. United States (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Duties of Landlord)
• Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, et al. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Breach of Fiduciary Duty; Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA))
• Gila River Indian Community, et al. v. Schoubroek, et al. (Tribal Water Rights; Subject Matter Jurisdiction)
• Manzini v. Cypress, et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Tribal Official Immunity; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Walker, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (California Rancheria Act; Judgment Distribution)
• Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (Land Into Trust; Tribal Consultation; Intervention)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Citizenship Board of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. Rhonda K. Grayson, et al (Tribal Membership)

State Courts Bulletin

• Native Village of Saint Michael v. State of Alaska, Department of Family & Community Services (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2452 - A bill to amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4596 - To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the right of members of a federally recognized Indian Tribe in the United States and First Nations individuals in Canada to cross the borders of the United States.
• H.R.4712 - To amend the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to provide for advancements in public safety services to Indian communities, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4722 - To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require a Federal medical assistance percentage of 100 percent for urban Indian organizations, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4750 - To extend Federal recognition to the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Notice of Proposed Transfer or Reinterment: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, Tulsa, OK (Interior)
• Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish (Commerce)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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• Arbitrating with Indian Tribes: Separability, Tribal sovereign immunity, and exhaustion of Tribal remedies.
• Indigenous law: Year in review.
• Navigating Tribal law research.
• Unfinished business: Twenty-first century questions posed by ambiguities in the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact and the Law of the River.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Lumbee tribe of North Carolina sees politics snarl recognition by Washington
• 'So much has been taken': Apache women sue to halt land swap for Oak Flat copper mine
• Native leaders push back on gender-affirming care restrictions for Tribal citizens
• Muscogee high court rules 1866 treaty requires Freedmen citizenship, strikes ‘by blood’ language
• Supreme Court blocks rule that blocks Voting Rights Act for now

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 7/22/2025

 

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

The Tribal Supreme Court Project published an Update Memorandum on July 21, 2025.

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Liveious v. Caesars Entertainment, Inc., et al. (Diversity Jurisdiction; Tribal Entities)
• Spencer v. Lewis, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Williams, et al. v. Martorello, et al. (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO); Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Gonzales, et al. v. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, et al. (Tribal Leadership Recognition; Crossclaim)
• Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians v. Unite Here Local #19 (Labor Dispute; State Labor Law)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• In the Matter of Lile (Attorney Discipline; Conflict of Interest)
• O'Donnell v. Wyand (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Official Act)
• Flint v. Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (Tort Claims Act; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. Wingate (Correct or Reduce Sentence)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• H.R.4463 - To amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Providing Technical Assistance Related to the Indian Child Welfare Act (HHS)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Native Employment Works (NEW) Plan Guidance and NEW Program Report (HHS)

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Native Americans rail against Trump's call to change Commanders' name back
• Tribes confront the resource-intensive drive to power AI
• On the Klamath, Tribal youths celebrate a river revival after removal of toxic dams
• Interior finalizes major Alaskan land transfer to NANA Regional Corporation
• Oklahoma oil and gas regulator dismisses environmental authority of Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

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 7/16/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin

One petition for certiorari was filed on 7/7/25:

• Stitt v. City of Tulsa (25-30) (State Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country)

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Patterson v. Harpe (Criminal Jurisdiction)
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation v. United States Department of the Interior (Breach of Trust)
• Cherokee Nation v. United States Department of the Interior (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act; Administrative Procedure Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2272 - A bill to provide access to reliable, clean, and drinkable water on Tribal lands, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4345 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the definition of critical access hospital under the Medicare program to include certain hospitals on Indian reservations.
• H.R.4377 - To provide access to reliable, clean, and drinkable water on Tribal lands, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin

• Native American Employment and Training Council (Labor)
• Proposed Information Collection Activity; American Indian and Alaska Natives Facility Condition, Location, and Ownership Survey (HHS)
• Indian Child Welfare Act; Designated Tribal Agents for Service of Notice (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin

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

• Beneath the surface: Unearthing legal, cultural, and environmental challenges to resource extraction on Indigenous land.
• Establishing a “duty to not destroy”: Using fiduciary duty to hold settler-colonial states responsible for cultural and linguistic harms committed against Indigenous students at government-run boarding schools.
• Expanding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act to the U.S. territories.
• Indigenous consultation in space policy: Upholding sacred connections and legal obligations.
• Issues of contemporary health policy and law for Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, transgender and gender-diverse communities in Indian Country.
• A treaty right to healthy forests? Using Tribal fishing rights to challenge timber sales.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Salinan Tribe of Monterey navigates federal acknowledgement process in pursuit of Tribal sovereignty
• The Miccosukee Tribe is eyeing a legal challenge over Alligator Alcatraz
• Alaska's Craig City Council considers controversial ‘Indian Country’ ordinance
• Native communities could lose $24.5B under Trump administration proposal
• ‘Indigenous lives matter’: Arizona’s Turquoise Alert for missing Indigenous people goes live

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 7/9/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin

• Matthew v. Palomares, et al. (Color of Tribal Law; Section 1983)
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, et al. v. Howe, et al. (Voting Rights Act (VRA); Section 1983; Rehearing En Banc)
• United States v. Baugh (Felling A Tree in a Prohibited Area; Treaty Rights)
• Dixon v. Gatzke, et al. (Tribal Lending; Necessary Party; Tribal Sovereign Immunity)

Tribal Courts Bulletin

• Grandbois v. Herald (Marital Property; Equitable Principles Findings)

State Courts Bulletin

• Adoption of Breck (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin

• S.2211 - A bill to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program for Type 1 Diabetes and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.
• H.R.4276 - To amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations, and for other purposes.

Passed legislation:

• Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act / To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or descendants of Alaska Natives from being used to determine eligibility for certain programs, and for other purposes became Public Law No. 119-22 on 7/7/2025.
• Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025 / To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Village Corporations shall not be required to convey land in trust to the State of Alaska for the establishment of Municipal Corporations, and for other purposes became Public Law No. 119-23 on 7/7/2025.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin
Contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article.

• Addressing inequities to maternal and fetal health outcomes for Native American women.
• The cartographic court.
• Don't throw the book: Customary Tribal laws can heal rather than punish addiction.
• Fulfilling an obligated duty to the Diné by incorporating and defining a core principle, Tó’eí’iiná até (water is life) into the Navajo Nation Tribal Water Code: Making a connection to the Diné in the “checkerboard” area.
• Self-determination in the implementation of treaty reserved rights.
• Stop killing the Klamath: Rights of nature protections with Tribal law, the National Historic Preservation Act, and collaborative management strategies for a Tribe on the front lines of climate change.
• Understanding federal recognition: A study of the procedural pathways and the Chinook Indian Nation.

News Bulletin

This week, in brief:

• Appeals court rules against North Dakota Tribes in voting rights case that could go to Supreme Court
• ‘The money won't bring anybody back’ | Payments will increase for radiation victims, but compensation still falls short
• Native American Rights Fund criticizes U.S. Department of Education over mascot ban ruling
• Unearthed bones, land swap, expedited review: Enbridge Line 5 tunnel review leaves Tribes behind
• University of Montana preserves legal history of Montana's Tribes

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 7/2/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was denied 6/30/2025:

• South Point Energy Center v. Arizona Department of Revenue (24-952) (State Taxation of Non-Indian Entity)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Holl, et al. v. Avery, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Federal Recognition; Indian Gaming)
• United States v. Parisien (Federal Jurisdiction; Indian Country)

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• George, et al. v. Sam, et al. (Incorporate State Statute; Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO))
• George v. Jursek, et al. (Sovereign Immunity; Separation of Powers)
• Moses v. George and Rivas (Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA))

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• In the matter of the income tax protest of Alicia Stroble v. Oklahoma Tax Commission (Tribal Citizen Income Tax Immunity; McGirt v. Oklahoma)
• In the matter of: I.R.S. and M.W.A.H., youths in need of care (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. City of Tulsa (Criminal Jurisdiction)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.2160 - A bill to reaffirm and clarify the Federal relationships of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4147 - To reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4258 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the definition of critical access hospital under the Medicare program to include certain hospitals on Indian reservations.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Rescission of Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing; Voter Registration Notic (HUD)
• Notice of Adoption of Categorical Exclusion Under Section 109 of the National Environmental Policy Act (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Abandoning the iron horse: Railroad rights-of-way and the implied Doctrine of Reverter on Indian reservations.
• Ho‘oku‘ikahi: Reconciling land dispossession, culture, history, and law in Hawai‘i.
• A most essential power: The case for restoring comprehensive land use authority in Indian Country.
• Treaty justice: Charles Wilkinson's homage to the Boldt Decision.
• Water knows no boundaries: Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians' off-reservation conduct that threatens on-reservation Tribal water resources. (written by NARF Staff Attorney Wesley J. Furlong)

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Wisconsin’s Brothertown Indian Nation is fighting for federal acknowledgement
• Coeur d’Alene Tribe celebrates the renaming of Camp Larson to ch ułts’e’l
• Tribal Nations band together to denounce 'Alligator Alcatraz' on Florida ancestral homelands
• Indigenous leaders at UNPFII underscore the need for genuine consent
• Oklahoma Supreme Court rules 'McGirt' precedent doesn't apply in state income tax protest

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 6/25/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• State of Alaska v. Department of the Interior et al. (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA); Motion to Transfer)
• Rosales, et al. v. Roman Catholic Bishop of San Diego, et al. (Federal Jurisdiction; Required Party; Sanctions)
• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation v. Morse (Tribal Sovereignty; Injunctive Relief)
• Weidley, et al. v. Aaniiih Nakoda Finance LLC, et al. (Tribal Lending; Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Necessary Party)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.2140 - A bill to establish Haskell Indian Nations University as a federally chartered educational institution to fulfill the treaty and trust responsibility of the Federal Government to Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.4085 - To establish Haskell Indian Nations University as a federally chartered educational institution to fulfill the treaty and trust responsibility of the Federal Government to Indians, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Employment and Training (ETA) Program Year (PY) 2025 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Section 166, Indian and Native American Programs Grantee Allotments (Labor)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• The “arm” that saves you might also strangle you: The impact of sovereign immunity on economic arms of Tribes and how it could affect others’ willingness to contract with them.
• Case law on American Indians: September 2023-August 2024.
• Development and practice of Tribal community planning: Ensuring Indigeneity in the planning process.
• Indigenous perspective to climate and environment.
• Institutions and economic development.
• Into the jurisdictionverse: How tangled jurisdictional lines around Indian Country thwart attempts to end the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
• Is this land your land? Or is this land my land?: The ongoing boundary dispute between Mille Lacs County and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
• Landback as federal policy.
• The Native fight for hunting rights: The Crow Tribe and Herrera v. Wyoming.
• The need for law in federal Indian law: A response to Maggie Blackhawk in light of the Supreme Court’s troubling term for Tribal sovereignty.
• The Onondaga Nation's land claim: Rights without a remedy?
• Tribal authority to issue search warrants to non-Tribal entities or on non-Indian land within reservation boundaries.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Kansas federal lawmakers want Haskell Indian Nations University to control itself
• A guide to the federal review of the Line 5 tunnel
• Apache Stronghold files another petition asking U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its case
• Montana law faces challenge over impact on Indigenous voting rights
• Interview with John Echohawk highlights decades-long focus on Tribal water rights

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 6/18/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Chinook Indian Nation, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (Federal Recognition; Political Question)
• Hardwick, et al. v. United States, et al. (California Rancheria Act (CRA); Federal Recognition)
• Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Bureau of Land Management (National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act)
• Orutsararmiut Native Council, et al. v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, et al. (National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Environmental Impact)

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• Estate of Charlotte T. Conde (Estate Property; Custom and Tradition; Personal Representative)
• Estate of Elizabeth Siquieros (Estate Property; Custom and Tradition; Oral Wills)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Perez v. City of San Antonio (Cultural Resources/Property; Texas Religious Services Clause)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.2022 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat Indian Tribal Governments in the same manner as State governments for certain Federal tax purposes, and for other purposes.
• S.2098 - A bill to provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Southcentral Foundation located in Anchorage, Alaska, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3903 - Chugach Alaska Land Exchange Oil Spill Recovery Act of 2025 / To exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3925 - Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Land Exchange Act / To provide for a land exchange in San Bernardino County, California, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3956 - To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts and self-governance agreements with Indian entities to administer the food distribution program on Indian reservations.
• H.R.3957 - To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide certain fire management assistance to Indian Tribal Governments, and for other purposes.
• S.Con.Res.14 - A concurrent resolution urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Approval of Clean Air Act General Permit Request for Coverage for New Minor Source Gasoline Dispensing Facility in Indian Country Within California for Tejon Gas Station (EPA)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act: Colorblind racism, whiteness as property, and the legal architecture of settler colonialism.
• Conservation easements and bison restoration on the Wind River Indian Reservation: Exploring opportunities, challenges, and alternatives.
• Is saying "I'm sorry" enough? A primer on how attorneys & judges can act justly in Tribal disputes.
• The moral complacency of federal Indian law.
• The return of reparative treatymaking? Legal norms, Native Nations, & the United States.
• The utmost rights & interests of the Indians: Tribal law interpretations of the Indian Civil Rights Act.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Judge denies latest attempt to dismiss Enbridge’s suit against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
• The president just unraveled years of work on Tribal rights, salmon and clean energy. So what happens next?
• Feds release final environmental impact statement on Oak Flat mine
• Lawmakers cut a Tribal liaison with prisons from the budget. Tribes say they think it would help.
• New law will make it easier to vote on reservations in Nevada

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 6/11/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was filed 6/2/2025:

• Unkechaug Indian Nation v. Lefton (24-1240) (Treaty Rights)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (Land Into Trust; Indian Gaming)
• San Carlos Apache Tribe, et al. v. United States Forest Service, et al. (Land Exchange; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Preliminary Injunction)
• United States v. Snake (Supervised Release; Sentencing)
• Gardner v. Ute Tribal Court of the Uintah and Ouray Reservavtion (Habeas corpus; Tribal Court Proceedings)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Atencio v. State of New Mexico (Environmental Protection; New Mexico Civil Rights Act)
• United Indian Health Services, Inc. / Tribal First v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and Deborah Hemstead (Tribal Sovereign Immunity)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1967 - A bill to amend the Stored Communications Act to include Tribal courts as courts of competent jurisdiction, to amend the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 to confer Tribal jurisdiction over controlled substances, related offenses, and firearms, and for other purposes.
• S.2015 - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western and southeastern United States, to acknowledge and support the long-standing use of cultural burning by Indian Tribes and Indigenous practitioners, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3723 - Tribal Gaming Regulatory Compliance Act / To ensure all federally recognized Tribes that are eligible for gaming in the United States are regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3773 - To amend the Stored Communications Act to include Tribal courts as courts of competent jurisdiction, to amend the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 to confer Tribal jurisdiction over controlled substances, related offenses, and firearms, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3889 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western and southeastern United States, to acknowledge and support the long-standing use of cultural burning by Indian Tribes and Indigenous practitioners, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustments; Annual Adjustments (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Becerra v. San Carlos Apache Tribe.
• Planning a new paradigm: Tribal co-stewardship and federal public lands planning.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• NY won’t rescind Native American mascot ban despite Trump threat, may broaden it
• US Justice Department says Trump can cancel national monuments that protect landscapes
• San Carlos Tribe celebrates temporary victory in federal court to save Oak Flat
• California's Yurok Tribe gets back ancestral lands that were taken over 120 years ago
• Settlements & stalemates: Tribal leaders steer Colorado River conversation

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 6/4/25

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game v. Federal Subsistence Board, et al. (Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA); Improper Delegation)
• Webber, et al. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al. (International Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); Indian Commerce Clause; Jay Treaty of 1794)
• Bird, et al. v. United States, et al. (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Fiduciary Relationship)

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• Stone, et al. & Romanelli v. Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Council, et al. (Tribal Council Budget Authority; Tribal Enterprise)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Matter of P.E.W. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• H.R.3609 - Remove the Stain Act / To rescind each Medal of Honor awarded for acts at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3654 - TERRA Act / Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act / To authorize the integration and administrative streamlining of Federal funding for Indian Tribes that have reservations, other Tribal lands, or ways of life at risk due to environmental impacts and natural disasters, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3670 - IHS Provider Expansion Act / To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to establish within the Indian Health Service an Office of Graduate Medical Education Programs, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Proposed Re-Issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Wastewater Discharges Associated With Drinking Water Production Located in the EPA Region 8 Indian Country and Lands of Exclusive Federal Jurisdiction (EPA)
• Rescinding Regulations Regarding Management Systems Pertaining to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Reservation Roads Program (DOT)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Affording oral tradition evidence due weight before the International Court of Justice.
• Broken promises and unfulfilled obligations.
• Correcting the confidentiality catch-22 of Indigenous knowledge.
• The historic superfund listing of the Lukachukai Mountains mining district.
• Incorporating Indigenous stewardship in land management.
• Indigenous abolition and the third space of Indian child welfare.
• The landback movement.
• Protecting tribal interests in water.
• Reflections of a Wyoming-Navajo lawmaker.
• The Supreme Court's use of historical evidence in recent Indian law cases.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Montana’s American Indian Caucus touts historic success in 2025 legislative session
• US Dept. of Education declares New York mascot ban discriminatory
• Federal court rules in favor of Tribes against SunZia
• An egregious backlog: Interior Department searches for ways to speed up Native American probate court
• North Dakota Tribes ask circuit judges for rehearing of voting rights case

Announcements

• The Native American Rights Fund is hiring a Staff Attorney in the Alaska office. Learn more about the vacancy at https://www.narf.org/contact-us/join-team.

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 05/28/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

Two petitions for certiorari were denied on 5/27/25:

• Apache Stronghold v. United States (24-291) (Religious Freedom)
• Kanam v. Burgum (24-1019) (Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Tohono O'odham Nation, et al. v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (Tribal Consultation; Traditional Cultural Place)
• California v. Del Rosa, et al. (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act); Contempt of Court)
• Brown v. Rogers (Habeas Corpus; Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1853 - A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of direct housing loans and medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs for Native Hawaiians.
• H.R.3610 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of direct housing loans and medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs for Native Hawaiians.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Alaska Native Claims Selection (Interior)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Proposed Information Collection Activity; Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program: Implementation Plan Guidance and Community Needs and Readiness Assessment Guidance (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Coercion and control: The need to protect Native Hawaiian women and girls from sex trafficking.
• Drawing lines in the sea: Indigenous sovereignty through the coastal zone.
• Indigenizing international law education.
• Native American veterans: Acknowledging their service, recognizing their needs, and learning from their tribal restorative tradition.
• Robots and (Indian) reservations: A jurisdictional nightmare waiting to happen.
• Standing in the wrong line: Navajo Nation water rights after Arizona v. Navajo Nation.
• United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians revisited: Justice, repair, and land return.
• Unveiling the environmental impact of large language models on Indigenous communities: A call for action and liability.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Tribes say the US misappropriated funds to pay for Native American boarding schools
• Diné woman confirmed as first Native federal judge in California
• Supreme Court turns down Apaches' bid to block copper mine on sacred site
• Class of 2025 leads the way for Indigenous graduation regalia
• New Oregon law allows Tribes to petition for removal of state control from tribal affairs

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/2/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was filed on 5/9/25:

• Maverick Gaming LLC v. United States (24-1161) (Rule 19 and Administrative Procedure Act (APA))

Three petitions for certiorari were denied on 5/19/25:

• Lexington Insurance Co. v. Suquamish Tribe (24-884) (Tribal Court Jurisdiction Over Non-Members)
• Lexington Insurance Company v. Mueller (24-906) (Tribal Court Jurisdiction Over Non-Members)
• Cromwell v. United States (24-6364) (Hobbs Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Kialegee Tribal Town v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Land into Trust; Cause of Action)
• Donius v. Ramirez, et al. (Tribal Regulatory Jurisdiction; Search and Seizure; Due Process)
• Robinson v. Oglala Sioux Tribe, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• Shoshone Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation v. United States, et al. (Breach of Trust; Settlement Agreement; Treaty Rights)
• Protect the Peninsula's Future, et al. v. Haaland, et al. (Required Party; Public Interest Exception to Joinder; Tribal Economic Development)
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, et al. v. Howe, et al. (Voting Rights Act (VRA); Section 1983)

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation v. Couillard (Board of Review Authority; Termination of Employee)
• The Tulalip Tribes v. Flores (TTC 2.25.070(7) ("Speedy Trial Statute"))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1750 - A bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3444 - To direct Federal land management agencies of the Department of the Interior to establish Tribal Co-Management Plans and to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for the performance of certain activities of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.431 - Recognizing the importance of the Arctic Council and reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the Arctic Council.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Abandoned mines, abandoned treaties: The federal government's failure to remediate abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.
• Addressing the gender wage gap for Native American women.
• AI and tribal court practice.
• The future of the discovery doctrine: One view from outside Indian Country.
• Indianness as property.
• Nanaboozhoo and Derrick Bell go for a walk.
• Rejecting the racialization of Indianness.
• Subject to the jurisdiction thereof: The Indian law context.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• NY governor apologizes for ‘atrocities’ at state boarding school for Native Americans
• Wichita Public Schools cut Native American education staff amid budget struggles
• Wabanaki Tribe reclaims seat in Maine House as relations improve
• Tribal IDs accepted during Real ID requirement
• A federal appeals panel has made enforcing the Voting Rights Act harder in 7 states

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/14/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Lower Brule Sioux Tribe v. United States Department of Interior, et al. (Self-Determination Contract)
• Kadayso v. Mescalero Tribal Council, et al. (Appointment of Counsel; Habeas Petition; Banishment)
• Apache Stronghold v. United States, et al. (Injunction Pending Appeal)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• In the Matter of: D.L.L. and J.T.L., Youths in Need of Care (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• H.R.3255 - To reaffirm and clarify the Federal relationships of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan as a federally recognized Indian tribe, and for other purposes.

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Modern day colonialism through Hawai'i's quiet title and partition laws.
• An old world discovery for new world justice: The FSIA path to repatriate stolen Native American art.
• There would be food forever: Leveraging the Culvert Case to fight toxic fish contamination in the Columbia River.
• Tribal judicial power.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• EPA terminates $20 million Walker River Paiute Tribe water infrastructure grant
• Actions by Wyoming and the feds could have opposing effects on Indigenous rock art
• Federal judge pauses Oak Flat land swap until a SCOTUS decision
• Consultation doesn’t always equal consent
• NCAI releases landmark Minority & Missing Report highlighting disparities in missing persons cases

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 5/7/2025

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Webster v. Burgum (Racial Discrimination; Indian Preference)
• Englebright, et al. v. Buhl, et al. (Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA))

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1574 - A bill to amend the Stored Communications Act to include Tribal courts as courts of competent jurisdiction.
• S.Res.200 - A resolution expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2025, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls."
• H.Res.381 - Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2025, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls."

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Notice of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
• Land Acquisitions; Cherokee Nation, Bartlesville Site, City of Bartlesville, Unincorporated Washington County, Oklahoma (Interior)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Advancing tribal co-management: Lessons learned from international comparisons.
• It's about all relations: Indigenous feminist theory of relational freedom.
• Land-back to move forward? The measurable relationship between land-back movements and economic outcomes in Indigenous communities within the U.S.
• The potential intercontinental railway between Siberia and Alaska and its implications for Alaska Native corporations and federally recognized Tribes.
• Rosalind's refund: The woman, the lawyers, and the time that created McClanahan v. Arizona.
• Sexual assault in tribal appellate courts: Case studies of tribal jurisprudence.
• Strategic litigation in pursuit of Indigenous justice.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Under settlement, Montana Board of Public Ed vows to improve how state teaches Native American history and culture
• How the feds abandoned reservations to burn
• Oregon lawmakers celebrate 50 years of Native American legislative commission
• Graduation regalia: more Native students get green light to wear tribal regalia this year
• Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 4/30/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was denied 4/28/2025:

• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians v. Burgum (24-622) (Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Lozeau v. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Criminal Jurisdiction; Tribal Conviction; PL 280)
• United States v. Bear Runner (Criminal Intent; Tribal Policy)
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. Tulsa County, Oklahoma, et al. (Criminal Jurisdiction; Tribal Sovereignty; Temporary Restraining Order)
• North Dakota v. United States (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Special Use Permit)
• Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, et al. v. Burgum, et al. (Land into Trust; Indian Gaming; Standing for Intervention)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• Matter of A. R. E. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• S.1508 - A bill to confer jurisdiction on the State of Utah with respect to civil causes of action arising on or within the Indian lands of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, and for other purposes.
• S.1513 - A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of Washington into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and for other purposes.
• S.1514 - A bill to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation, and for other purposes.
• H.R.3073 - To confer jurisdiction on the State of Utah with respect to civil causes of action arising on or within the Indian lands of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, and for other purposes.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• Proposed Information Collection Activity; Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Data Report, Tribal Assistance for Needy Families Annual Report, and Tribal Assistance for Needy Families Reasonable Cause/Corrective Action Documentation Process (HHS)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• The Indian Child Welfare Act survives for now.
• "It doesn't rise to the level of crisis that other situations would." Indigenous self-determination and gendered violence in Alaska.
• Lexington Insurance Co. v. Smith: Ninth Circuit denies rehearing en banc to consider whether nonmember physical presence on tribal lands is required for tribal adjudicatory jurisdiction.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• New Mexico judge orders remedial plan to improve public education for Native American students
• Why the San Manuel tribe is going back to its original name
• Arizona federal judge will consider Apache Stronghold’s petition to delay pending Oak Flat land swap
• Colorado among growing number of states aiming to strengthen local ICWA laws that protect tribal children and families
• Native American voters turned out big for Wisconsin Supreme Court election

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 4/23/2025

U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/sct/2024-2025update.html

One petition for certiorari was denied 4/21/2025:

• HCI Distribution, Inc. v. Hilgers (24-615) (State Taxation of Tobacco Product Sales by Tribal Entities)

Federal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/federal/2025.html

• Hackford v. United States Department of the Interior, et al. (Ute Partition Act (UPA); Tribal Membership)
• NDN Collective, et al. v. Retsel Corporation, et al. (Discrimination; Standing; Testers)
• United States of America, et al. v. Iski (McGirt v. Oklahoma; Intervention; Joinder)
• Fuson v. Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation (Navajo and Hopi Indian Land Settlement Act of 1974; Administrative Procedure Act)
• McLean v. United States (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA); Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA))

Tribal Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/tribal/2025.html

• In the Matter of the Constitutionality of NCA 24-077 (Constitutionality of Legislation; Separation of Powers)
• Boria v. Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise (Premises Liability; Open and Obvious Dangerous Condition)
• Duong v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (Public Policy Considerations; Notice of Defective Condition)

State Courts Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/state/2025.html

• In re L.Q. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

U.S. Legislation - 119th Congress Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/legislation/119_uslegislation.html

• H.R.2929 - To extend the full measure of the Federal Government-to-government relationship between the United States and the Haliwa Saponi Indian Tribe of North Carolina.

U.S. Regulatory Bulletin
http://narf.org/nill/bulletins/regulatory/2025.html

• 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)

Law Review & Bar Journal Bulletin (contact us if you need help finding a copy of an article)
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/lawreviews/currentlr.html

• Arizona v. Navajo Nation: The fight for a permanent homeland.
• A cultural property interest: How Indigenous groups can use tort law to repossess their artifacts.
• "Political rather than racial in nature": Strengthening Morton v. Mancari using the Indian Commerce Clause.
• Recognition policies, self-determination, and access to legal redress for Indigenous Peoples in the United States, Australia, and Canada: A comparative study.
• "We stand with the water": Ojibwe treaty rights, the Walleye Wars, and the imminent thread of Enbridge's Line 5.

News Bulletin
https://www.narf.org/nill/bulletins/news/currentnews.html

This week, in brief:

• Religious funding debate revisits role of Indian boarding schools
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirms Line 5 tunnel review to move forward under shortened timeline
• Feds to move ahead on Oak Flat copper mine swap in Arizona, despite pending Supreme Court case 
• Trump FY 2026 budget aims to slash $900 million from Indian Health Service
• What the SAVE Act could mean for Native American voters