Native American

October 09, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Extend Voter Registration After Helene

Would-be voters in the Peach State won't get an extra week to register for the November 2024 election — at least not yet — after a Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she hadn't seen sufficient support for the claim that registrations were significantly hampered by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
October 09, 2024
NY Tribe Urges Court To Keep Door Open On 911 Lawsuit

The Cayuga Nation is fighting a bid by two New York counties to dismiss its lawsuit over their alleged refusals to forward 911 calls to tribal police, arguing that on its face, it's hard to deny that something is amiss in the municipalities' efforts to ensure its reservation members' protection.
October 09, 2024
EPA Will Clean Up 7 Abandoned Mines On Navajo Land

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has committed to cleaning up seven abandoned uranium mine sites via projects aimed at addressing more than 1 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and restoring approximately 260 acres of Navajo Nation land.
October 08, 2024
Wash. Families Claim Judicial Bias In Tribal Eviction Saga

A trial judge for Washington state's Nooksack Indian Tribe has paused a series of evictions against a group of families after they argued judges on a tribal appeals court were biased for ruling they can be removed from homes purchased using a federal tax credit program.
October 08, 2024
Minn. County And Feds Must Meet In Person Over Land Fight

A Minnesota federal judge has ordered counsel for a county and two townships to meet in person with U.S. Department of the Interior representatives for settlement talks involving claims the DOI wrongly acquired about 3,239 acres of land into trust for an Ojibwe tribe.
October 08, 2024
ND Secretary Of State Can Skip Arguments In VRA Row

The Eighth Circuit is excusing North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe from participating in upcoming arguments in his attempt to reverse a lower court's order that required state lawmakers to correct Section 2 Voting Rights Act violations against two tribes, according to a Monday order from the court.
October 08, 2024
Jackson, Kagan Target Loper Bright In Ghost Gun Case

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet during initial arguments Tuesday over the federal government's authority to regulate ghost guns. While her colleagues debated whether kits of unassembled parts qualify as firearms, she waited patiently to post a different question: Can courts now toss agency interpretations they don't like?
October 08, 2024
Marathon Co. Wants 'Both Bites' In Pipeline Row, 8th Circ. Told

A group of tribal landowners looking to intervene in the federal government's appeal related to a Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary's pipeline that crosses part of reservation lands told the Eighth Circuit that the company can't have "both bites of the apple" in fighting their bid to dismiss the case.
October 08, 2024
Contractors Tell 5th Circ. They Belong In Border Wall Suit

Border wall construction firms urged the Fifth Circuit to insert them into Texas' suit challenging the Biden administration's border wall spending plan, saying they were barred from the case even though it threatens their financial rights under their old contracts.
October 07, 2024
Tribe's 'No Regret' Gaming Ads Misleading, Fla. Residents Say

Ads from the gaming vendor of the Seminole Tribe of Florida promising to give bettors as much as $100 back if they lose their first wager is false, deceptive, misleading and unfair marketing that violates state law, despite the tribe's claims of sovereign immunity, according to an updated proposed class action in federal court.
October 07, 2024
Tribe Can't Hold DOI In Contempt Over Recognition Rule Delay

A D.C. federal judge won't hold the Interior secretary in contempt in a Michigan tribe's bid to force the agency to complete its final rule on federal recognition, saying that despite the 4-year-long dispute, no court orders have been violated.
October 07, 2024
No Firm Schedule For New LNG Rule, Feds Tell DC Circ.

The Biden administration has told the D.C. Circuit that it has no "firm schedule" for revising a rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail, information the court asked for in litigation filed by environmental groups opposed to the regulations.
October 07, 2024
5th Circ. Gears Up To Tackle High Court's ICWA Ruling

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is gearing up to tackle the high court's ruling last year that upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act, which determined that the nearly 50-year-old law does not exceed the federal government's authority in imposing a standard procedure on Indigenous child custody cases.
October 07, 2024
Treasury Proposes Exempting Tribal Cos. From Income Tax

Tribal-owned businesses would not be subject to federal income tax under proposed regulations released Monday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a move that would also allow such entities to be eligible to receive direct cash payments in lieu of clean energy tax credits.
October 07, 2024
Ex-CEO Of Tribal Telecom Co. Indicted For $500K Fund Theft

A former executive with a telecommunications company owned by the Yurok Tribe has been indicted by a San Francisco federal grand jury on charges she embezzled more than $500,000 from the tribe.
October 07, 2024
State Courts Splitting Over Future Of Climate Change Suits

Recent decisions on whether climate change suits brought by state and local governments against fossil fuel companies can go forward are exposing splits between state courts over whether they can impose liability for pollution that originates beyond their borders, legal experts say.
October 04, 2024
Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.
October 04, 2024
Another Ute Tribe Joins Online Gambling Suit Against Colo.

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has joined the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in its federal court lawsuit against Colorado Gov. Jared Polis for allegedly violating both tribes' state-tribal gaming pacts by overstepping his right to regulate online sports gambling.
October 04, 2024
11th Circ. Sends Tribal Loan Dispute Back For Arbitration

An Eleventh Circuit panel has reversed and remanded a lower court's ruling that a Tampa-based consumer collection company cannot compel arbitration in a bid seeking payment on a tribally owned firm's loans, arguing provisions of the agreements require such proceedings under tribal and federal law.
October 04, 2024
EPA Fights To Save Civil Rights Regs Outside Louisiana

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked a Louisiana federal judge to reject the state's effort to impose a nationwide ban on civil rights regulations focused on disparate impacts.
October 04, 2024
NY State Gives 1,000 Acres Back To Onondaga Nation

New York's Onondaga Nation has regained 1,000 acres of its ancestral lands in the Tully Valley, making the title transfer one of the largest of its kind by any state, after tribe members have said for decades that the land was unlawfully taken by the federal government in the 18th century.
October 04, 2024
High Court Bar's Future: Jenner & Block's Adam Unikowsky

In many ways, Adam G. Unikowsky of Jenner & Block LLP has traveled a tried-and-true path — Harvard, elite clerkships, BigLaw — to the upper echelons of U.S. Supreme Court advocacy. But his route to the forefront of the bar's next generation has been less conventional than it might appear, and he spoke with Law360 about how he's climbed so high — and how he excels by avoiding rhetoric that "judges really, really hate."
October 04, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Pause EPA's Iron Plant Rule

A D.C. Circuit panel rejected bids by U.S. Steel Corp. and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. to stay a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting emissions standards for their taconite iron ore processing facilities.
October 03, 2024
Colo. Billionaire's Brief Sparks Call For Gorsuch Recusal

A Colorado billionaire once hired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as a budding young lawyer, later campaigned for the future justice's first judicial appointment and subsequently urged the court to loosen requirements for federal environmental reviews — all of which has sparked a call for the justice to bow out of one of the upcoming term's key cases.
October 03, 2024
Despite Progress, Barriers Remain In Burial Law, Report Says

Despite tighter regulations on a federal law designed to protect and help tribes repatriate burial sites, a continued resistance by institutions in possession of Indigenous remains and artifacts and a lack of funding are still barriers facing the decades-old policy, a federal report says.

Expert Analysis

Series

Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
How Purdue High Court Case Will Shape Ch. 11 Mass Injury

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent arguments in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, addressing the authority of bankruptcy courts to approve nonconsensual third-party releases in Chapter 11 settlement plans, highlight the case's wide-ranging implications for how mass injury cases get resolved in bankruptcy proceedings, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
Opinion

Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
Series

Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
Bid Protest Spotlight: Instructions, Jurisdiction, Scrutiny

In this month's bid protest roundup, Michaela Thornton at MoFo examines three recent protests resolved in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office that arose from indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract awards and offer important reminders about the fundamentals of procurement law.
General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023

Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.