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

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

• 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

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• 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