Washington State Department of Licensing, Petitioner v. Cougar Den, Inc.

  1. July 03, 2019

    Biggest Native American Rulings Of 2019: Midyear Report

    The U.S. Supreme Court handed close wins this year to two Native American tribes, backing their rights to be shielded from a state fuel tax and to hunt under their treaties, while circuit courts protected tribe members' access to broadband and heightened tribal officers' exposure to tort suits. Here, Law360 looks back at some of the top decisions in Native American law in the first half of 2019.

  2. March 20, 2019

    Gorsuch's Take On Treaty And Tax Bodes Well For Tribes

    The U.S. Supreme Court bolstered the Yakama Nation's rights Tuesday when it ruled that a tribal company is shielded from a Washington state fuel tax by the Yakamas' federal treaty, but Justice Neil Gorsuch's robust concurrence could prove of greater long-term consequence as it shows the justice poised to become a swing vote in tribal cases.

  3. March 19, 2019

    Gorsuch, Ginsburg Strike Rare Accord In Tribal Tax Case

    Tuesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on whether a Native American company should be required to pay a Washington state fuel tax featured a rare agreement between justices who have often locked horns, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ditching her liberal colleagues and joining a concurrence by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

  4. March 19, 2019

    Justices Say Tribal Co. Doesn't Owe Wash. State Fuel Tax

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a Washington state court ruling that a Yakama Nation company does not have to pay a state fuel tax, saying the tribe's right to travel on public highways under its treaty makes the company exempt from the tax.

  5. January 01, 2019

    Native American Cases To Watch In 2019

    In the new year, Native American law practitioners will be keeping an eye on upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding Washington's ability to tax the Yakama Nation; treaty hunting rights in Wyoming; and the balance of tribal, federal and state criminal jurisdiction in Oklahoma. Here, Law360 takes a look at the cases attorneys who practice Native American law will be watching in the coming year.

  6. November 02, 2018

    Tribal Treaty Right May Sway Justices In Wash. Tax Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court weighed whether a Yakama Nation company should be subject to a Washington state fuel tax during oral arguments over the past week, and attorneys say the tribe's chances for success hinge on the court's apparent willingness to endorse a strong tribal treaty right to conduct business using off-reservation highways.

  7. October 18, 2018

    Wash. Tells Justices Tribal Right Isn't Violated By Fuel Tax

    The Washington State Department of Licensing told the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a state Supreme Court ruling in favor of a tribal fuel distributor, saying a fuel tax does not violate the Yakama Nation's right to travel on public highways and the company read a tribal treaty right too broadly while mischaracterizing state law.