Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/26/2025

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

• Rousseau v. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, et al. (Habeas Corpus; Personal Jurisdiction)
• L.B. v. United States, et al. (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Scope of Employment)
• George v. Colville Confederated Tribes, et al. (Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA); Tribal Sovereign Immunity)
• United States v. Haack (Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA); Identity Theft)
• United States v. Young (Peremptory Challenge on the Basis of Race)
• Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al. (Land into Trust; Indian Gaming; Economic Harm)
• Perank, et al. v. United States (Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA); Loss of Water)

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

• Perry v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (Negligence; Ongoing Storm Doctrine)

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

• In re Enbridge Energy to Replace and Relocate Line 5 (Cultural Resources; Michigan Environmental Protection Act)

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

• S.572 - A bill to enhance the effectiveness of the Shadow Wolves Program, and for other purposes.
• S.630 - 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.632 - A bill 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.
• S.637 - A bill to amend the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.
• S.640 - A bill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make a technical correction to the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Trust Fund, to amend the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 to make technical corrections to the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund and Aamodt Settlement Pueblos' Fund, and for other purposes.
• S.642 - A bill to provide compensation to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for the taking without just compensation of land by the United States inside the exterior boundaries of the L'Anse Indian Reservation that were guaranteed to the Community under a treaty signed in 1854, and for other purposes.
• S.643 - A bill to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
• S.673 - A bill to amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize the expansion of the Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out activities to protect structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding, and for other purposes.
• S.689 - A bill to approve the settlement of the water right claims of the Tule River Tribe, and for other purposes.
• S.699 - A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to address liability for payment of charges or costs associated with the provision of purchased/referred care services, and for other purposes.
• S.719 - A bill to amend the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to improve that Act, and for other purposes.
• S.723 - A bill to require the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process and complete all mortgage packages associated with residential and business mortgages on Indian land by certain deadlines, and for other purposes.
• H.R.1499 - To amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.83 - A resolution designating February 2025 as "Hawaiian Language Month" or "'Olelo Hawai'i Month".

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

This week, in brief:

• Appeals Court upholds MPSC permit for Line 5 tunnel project
• ProPublica updates its database of museums’ and universities’ compliance with federal repatriation law
• Utah bill would disenfranchise rural Native residents, critics warn
• Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes defend Yellowstone bison plan in court
• New bill would transfer ownership of Shawnee Indian Mission to Shawnee Tribe

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 02/19/2025

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

One petition for certiorari was filed 2/13/25:

• Lexington Insurance Co. v. Suquamish Tribe (24-884) (Jurisdiction Over Nonmembers)

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

• Waukegan Potawatomi Casino, LLC v. City of Waukegan (Equal Protection Clause; Section 1983)
• Navajo Nation, et al. v. United States (Standing; Trust Relationship)
• Sovereign Natchez Nation, et al. v. Riverside County Department of Social Services Children Protective Services, et al. (Indian Child Welfare Act; Recognition)
• United States v. Whipple-Wright (Major Crimes Act (MCA); Miranda Rights; Tribal Enrollment Status)
• Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, et al. v. Madore, et al. (Treaty Rights; Disestablishment; Mootness)
• Montgomery v. Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC (Intervention; Sovereign Immunity)

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

• Interest of B.V. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Nelson v. Hawaiian Homes Commission (Hawaiian Homes Commission Act; Trust Breach)

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

• S.546 - A bill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make a technical correction to the water rights settlement for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, and for other purposes.
• S.550 - A bill to provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes.
• S.562 - A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna in the Rio San Jose Stream System and the Pueblos of Jemez and Zia in the Rio Jemez Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
• S.563 - A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of Ohkay Owingeh in the Rio Chama Stream System, to restore the Bosque on Pueblo Land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
• S.564 - A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Zuni Indian Tribe in the Zuni River Stream System in the State of New Mexico, to protect the Zuni Salt Lake, and for other purposes.
• S.565 - A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in the Rio San Jose Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
• S.612 - A bill 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.
• S.620 - A bill to provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
• S.621 - A bill to accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota at the request of that Community, and for other purposes.
• S.622 - A bill to amend the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act to provide for the transfer of additional Federal land to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and for other purposes.
• H.R.1418 - To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to address liability for payment of charges or costs associated with provision of purchased/referred care services, and for other purposes.
• H.R.1444 - To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Zuni Indian Tribe in the Zuni River Stream System in the State of New Mexico, to protect the Zuni Salt Lake, and for other purposes.
• H.Res.136 - Expressing support for the designation of February 2025 as "Hawaiian Language Month" or "'Olelo Hawai'i Month".

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

• Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (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

• Congressional tribal trust responsibility and the opioid MDL: A call to finish the work the judiciary was forced to undertake.
• Ola i ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele: An emerging collective memory of injustice in Maui Komohana as a foundation for recovery from Lahaina’s wildfires and restorative justice for Hawaiʻi.
• A right to living culture: Articulating issues and opportunities for protecting contemporary and emerging Native Hawaiian rights, practices, and resources.
• The role of human rights in advancing justice for Native Hawaiians: Infusing Indigenous human rights with Kanaka Maoli values.

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

This week, in brief:

• Buried but not forgotten: a Colorado archeologist describes her work honoring the lives of Indian boarding school students
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski: "it's Denali"; co-sponsors legislation to formally recognize its Native name
• Layoffs at National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service raise concern over sacred lands
• Native organizations' leaders defend tribal sovereignty before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
• Bill to eliminate Native American voting barriers goes before Montana legislature

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/12/2025

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

• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation v. Morse, et al. (Civil Jurisdiction; Article III Standing)

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

• Spirit v. Fort Peck Tribes (Indian Civil Rights Act; Confrontation; Due Process)

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

• In the Matter of the Guardianship of K.D.B. (Indian Child Welfare Act)

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

• S.443 - A bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow Indian tribal governments to directly request fire management assistance declarations and grants, and for other purposes.
• H.R.1010 - To require Federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Indians, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.60 - An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Indian Affairs.
• H.Res.97 - Expressing support for the designation of the week beginning February 3, 2025, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week."

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

• Presidential Memorandum; Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (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

• Abdication of power: Arizona v. Navajo Nation and judicial refusal to enforce the federal trust relationship.
• Beyond statutory tango: Native American Tribe's access to bankruptcy relief after Lac Du Flambeau.
• The erosion of trust: Arizona v. Navajo, climate change, and the potential abrogation of tribal water rights.
• Green and proud: Protecting the Antiquities Act as a means of fighting climate change and promoting American patriotism.
• Indigenizing legal republicanism.
• Native reproductive self-determination.
• Opportunities for reconciliation: The legal history of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and the Chippewa National Forest.
• The parallels in the repatriation of cultural property: How the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act provides a framework for a more effective Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act.
• Teaching at the intersection of federal Indian law and environmental law courses.
• Where do we go from here? Navajo Nation's fight for water.

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

This week, in brief:

• Amid wave of executive orders, Native communities worry about ‘collateral damage’ to U.S. treaty obligations
• Billy Kirkland (Navajo) nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs by Trump
• ‘Our data is our stories’ | Q+A: Abigail Echo-Hawk on data sovereignty
• Arizona Republicans lose bid to block Grand Canyon monument protections
• Native Americans and immigration enforcement - know your rights

Indian Law Bulletins Updated 2/5/2025

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

• United States, et al. v. State of Washington, et al. (Treaty Fishing Rights; Usual and Accustomed Fishing Places; Skagit River)
• Duwamish Tribe, et al. v. Haaland, et al. (Federal Recognition; Voluntary Remand)
• Schmasow v. Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa of Montana (Habeas Corpus; Membership; Exhaustion of Tribal Remedies)

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

• Porporino v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (Discovery; Protective Order)

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

• In re Taylor M. (Indian Child Welfare Act)
• Frankel v. Board of Land and Natural Resources (Trust Breach)

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

• S.390 - A bill to require Federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Indians, and for other purposes.
• H.R.907 - To provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, and for other purposes.
• S.Res.49 - A resolution designating the week beginning February 3, 2025, as "National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week."

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

• Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (Presidential Memorandum)

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

This week, in brief:

• Native leaders press Trump Admin, Congress to preserve Tribal Nations' political status amid federal changes
• Although flow of federal money is fine for now, Tribes brace for cuts and plan to protect treaty rights
• Uranium ore shipments will resume after Navajo Nation, Energy Fuels reach agreement
• Duwamish Tribe gets another chance at federal recognition
• #LandBack offers common ground for Native Tribes, Trump Administration