National Indian Law Library : January 2025

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

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. CashCall, Inc., et al. (Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA); Tribal Incorporation)
Portland General Electric Company v. State of Oregon, et al. (Eminent Domain; Perpetual Cultural Practices Easement)
Lamkin v. Hutchinson, et al. (Section 1983; Tribal Sovereign Immunity; Entwined with the State)
Corrales v. Dutschke, et al. (Attorney Fee Agreement; Administrative Procedures Act (APA); Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA))
United States, et al. v. Osage Wind, LLC, et al. (Trespass; Conversion; Damages)
WPX Energy Williston LLC v. Fettig, et al. (Tribal Court Jurisdiction; Allotments)
United States v. Levi (Restitution; Native American Healer Qualifications)
Crowe v. Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game (Section 1983; Treaty Hunting Rights)

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

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

Held v. State of Montana (Montana Environmental Policy Act; Cultural Resources)
Humboldt Alliance for Responsible Planning v. California Coastal Commission; Bureau of Indian Affairs (California Coastal Act of 1976; Tribal Sovereignty)

H.R.42 - 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.
H.R.43 - 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.
H.R.84 - To expand opportunity for Native American children through additional options in education, and for other purposes.
H.R.103 - To provide Members of Congress lawful access to certain Indian land to assess the security of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico located on that Indian land, and for other purposes.
H.R.165 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions necessary for certain land to be held in restricted fee status by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and for other purposes.
H.R.226 - To take certain Federal lands in Tennessee into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

118th Congress:

S.5619 - A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the Quapaw Nation and certain members of the Quapaw Nation in accordance with the recommendation of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and for other purposes.
S.5635 - A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 1992 with respect to the Department of Energy Tribal loan guarantee program, and for other purposes.
S.5636 - A bill to ensure progress toward the fulfillment by the Federal Government of its trust and treaty obligations to Native Americans and Tribal governments, and for other purposes.
H.R.10492 - To amend the Act of August 9, 1955 (commonly known as the "Long-Term Leasing Act"), to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and for other purposes.
H.R.10533 - To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to administratively transfer covered parcels of National Forest System land to the Secretary of the Interior to be held in trust for the benefit of Indian Tribes.

Passed legislation:

Native American Child Protection Act / To amend the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act. - became Public Law No: 118-160 on 12/23/2024.
Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act / A bill to take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Jamul Indian Village of California, and for other purposes. - became Public Law No: 118-199 on 12/23/2024.
NACIE Improvement Act / National Advisory Council on Indian Education Improvement Act / A bill to ensure that the National Advisory Council on Indian Education includes at least 1 member who is the president of a Tribal College or University. - became Public Law No: 118-209 on 12/23/2024.

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

Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority; Part G; Indian Health Service Headquarters, Office of the Director (HHS)
Receipt of Documented Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe (Interior)
Tribal Consultation (NEA)
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for the Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of Rincon Reservation, California (Interior)
Land Acquisitions; Hopi Tribe, Coconino County and Navajo County, Arizona (Interior)
Request for Information: Child Nutrition Programs Tribal Pilot Projects (USDA)
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (Interior)
Fiscal Year 2024 List of Programs Eligible for Inclusion in Funding Agreements Negotiated With Self-Governance Tribes by Interior Bureaus Other Than the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Fiscal Year 2025 Programmatic Targets (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

Addressing legal gaps: The case for more attorneys in tribal courts.
The Akwesasne black hole: America’s hidden border crisis.
Can Tribes get a receipt?: Seeking transparency for state spending of tribal tax dollars.
From Wounded Knee to Carlisle to SFFA: An Indigenous case for affirmative action.
Gwayak ateg onaakonigewi dibenjigewin: Decolonizing jurisdiction in Anishinaabe tribal courts.
Implementation of tribal consultation laws in California.
Justice beyond the state.
Not "Indian" enough: Freedmen, jurisdiction, and equal protection.
Protecting land on religious freedom grounds: The case of Oak Flat.
Protecting salmon and upholding the rights of nature against greenwashing in the Pacific Northwest.
Water security in the wake of Arizona v. Navajo Nation: How the president's emergency powers can provide a path forward for the Navajo Nation.

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

This week, in brief:

Biden designates two national monuments on tribal ancestral lands in California
A Tacoma Native student couldn’t wear a sacred tribal blanket to graduate. Now she’s suing
Q&A: Native American Rights Fund founder John EchoHawk on the 50th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act of 1975
MHA Nation and Native voters argue for voters' protections from politician gerrymandering
What’s next after the failed effort to secure Colorado River Basin water rights for tribes in Arizona?

National Indian Law Library