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Native American
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April 23, 2024
Cole First Native American To Chair Appropriations Committee
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, has become the first Native American to chair the full House Appropriations Committee, succeeding Rep. Kay Granger, who in March announced that she would be stepping down prior to her retirement.
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April 22, 2024
CORRECTED [New Headline]:Tribe Says NY Lottery Breaks Law
A tribe in New York has asked a federal judge to bar state officials from operating any lottery vending machines on its self-proclaimed reservation, saying gambling on Indian lands is within the jurisdiction of tribes and regulated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
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April 22, 2024
Texas, Mo. Seek Full Vacatur Of DHS Border Wall Plan
Texas and Missouri on Monday urged a Texas federal court to fully vacate the Biden administration's plans to redirect border wall construction funds, saying the plan adopted an overarching policy the court had declared was unlawful.
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April 22, 2024
Group Backs Net Neutrality, But Not Fees On Broadband
Despite supporting a planned net neutrality regime, media advocacy group Free Press has argued against using the new rules to impose fees on the broadband industry to support telecommunications subsidies, saying the idea would only harm consumers.
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April 22, 2024
Wash. Judge Questions If Professor Was Punished For Views
A Washington federal judge seemed to doubt Monday that the University of Washington went too far when it removed a professor's political statements from his syllabi, noting that the comments were disruptive because they caused students to drop the mandatory course.
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April 22, 2024
Ayahuasca Church Settles Religious Freedom Suit With Feds
A Phoenix-based church that uses the psychedelic ayahuasca as a sacrament announced Monday that it had reached a legal settlement in Arizona federal court with a slew of federal agencies to ensure its religious right to access the federally controlled substance.
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April 22, 2024
With Power Rules On Deck, EPA Awards $7B In Solar Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it awarded $7 billion in grants to boost residential solar energy development in low-income communities, kicking off a climate change-focused week in which the agency is expected to release pollution control rules for the power sector.
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April 22, 2024
Feds Say $1M Fine Is Fair In Washington Dam Settlement
The federal government says a $1 million fine to settle Clean Water Act violations against a hydroelectric dam operator is fair despite objections from a Washington tribe, arguing that a proposed consent decree should be approved because it meets key goals that help to restore Washington's Puyallup River.
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April 22, 2024
Oregon Judge Won't Delay Youth Climate Trial
An Oregon federal judge denied the U.S. Department of Justice's 14th request to pause a suit filed by young people claiming their rights are being violated by federal policies that are worsening climate change, and also told the Ninth Circuit to reject the agency's latest attempted appeal in the long-running litigation.
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April 19, 2024
Potawatomi Become Ill.'s First Federally Recognized Tribe
The U.S. Department of the Interior in a historic move has made the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation the only federally recognized tribal nation in Illinois, the tribe said Friday.
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April 19, 2024
DOI Bans New Mining Claims On 4,200 Acres Of NM Land
The U.S. Department of the Interior has closed down any new mining claims for the next 50 years on 4,200 acres in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in an effort to protect the area with significant cultural ties to two Native American tribes.
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April 19, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Reverse Wash. Tribe's Recognition Order
A D.C. Circuit panel has rejected a bid by a Washington tribe to vacate an order denying it federal recognition for the fourth time while barring it from raising any further jurisdictional arguments to collaterally attack a lower court's dismissal of the case.
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April 19, 2024
Biden Administration Sharply Limits Drilling In Alaska Arctic
The Biden administration on Friday issued new restrictions on oil and gas leasing across vast swathes of Alaska's Arctic while simultaneously ruling out construction of a controversial road state officials proposed to access mining areas in sensitive wilderness.
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April 19, 2024
EPA Says 2 'Forever Chemicals' Are Hazardous Substances
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday officially declared two "forever chemicals" to be hazardous materials under federal law, which could bring a host of consequences for Superfund site cleanups and development projects.
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April 18, 2024
NY Tribe Says Smoke Shop Group Can't Be Trusted With Data
The Cayuga Nation is urging a New York federal judge to keep one of the entrepreneurs it's accused of opening up an unlicensed smoke shop on tribal land from viewing spreadsheets purportedly detailing lost revenues the tribe suffered due to the store's operation, claiming he'll use the information to hurt the tribe's business.
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April 18, 2024
BLM Prioritizes Conservation On Federal Land In Final Rule
The Biden administration finalized a rule Thursday that prioritizes the conservation of federal lands through new initiatives like leasing frameworks that center on restoration and mitigation.
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April 18, 2024
Enbridge Says Feds' Pipeline Brief Aids Michigan Case
Enbridge Energy has said the U.S. government's recent brief to the Seventh Circuit in separate litigation over its Line 5 pipeline backs its challenge against Michigan over the state's attempts to shutter the project, arguing the federal government has a strong interest in ensuring that trade and diplomatic relations with Canada aren't affected.
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April 18, 2024
Pharma Co. Wants Tribe's Opioid Suit To Stay In Federal Court
A pharmaceuticals distributor has asked an Oklahoma federal court to reject a magistrate judge's recommendation to move to state court a suit accusing it of flooding the Cherokee Nation's communities with opioids, saying the tribe's complaint raises a substantial question of federal law.
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April 18, 2024
NCAA Rips 'Vague' Claims In Student-Athlete's Transfer Suit
The NCAA has urged a West Virginia federal judge to toss a suit from a 22-year-old student-athlete alleging the organization tried to prevent him from being eligible to play basketball following a mid-season transfer, saying the suit is too vague to pass muster.
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April 18, 2024
No Redo For Insurers In COVID-19 Coverage Row, Tribe Says
The Ninth Circuit should stand by its decision ordering an AIG unit and other insurers to litigate the Suquamish Tribe's COVID-19 business interruption claims in tribal court, the tribe told the appeals court, saying the insurers' request for a do-over distorts the panel's decision and controlling law.
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April 18, 2024
9th Circ. Affirms Rosette's Win In Tribe Representation Fight
The Ninth Circuit has backed a federal district court ruling that found Rosette LLP is not responsible for using allegedly false advertising to induce the Quechan Tribe to drop Williams & Cochrane LLP as counsel on the verge of closing a lucrative gambling contract.
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April 17, 2024
Minn. Operator Wants To Stop Casinos' Class III Gambling
The operator of a commercial casino and horse racetrack has sued three tribal-owned casinos in Minnesota federal court on claims they're violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, accusing them of running criminal gambling activities that break state and federal laws.
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April 17, 2024
Tribal Groups Say Final Fish Harvesting Rule Violates NEPA
Two Alaskan tribal organizations are asking a federal court to vacate a final groundfish harvest rule for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, arguing that it fails to account for the rapid and unprecedented shifts in their ecosystems caused by climate change over the past two decades.
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April 17, 2024
Republican AGs Petition EPA To Drop Enviro Justice Initiative
Attorneys general from 23 primarily Republican-led states on Tuesday demanded that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency roll back civil rights regulations that prohibit actions that may unintentionally affect racial groups in different ways.
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April 17, 2024
Florida Pleads With Judge To Stay Water Permit Ruling
Florida called on a D.C. federal judge to pause his ruling vacating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of the state's application to assume control of a Clean Water Act permitting program, amid its D.C. Circuit appeal.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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Assessing EPA's Potential Retreat On Title VI Enforcement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to close its Title VI investigation of Louisiana — rather than respond to the state's litigation challenge against it — raises questions about the efficacy of the agency's plans to use Title VI in support of its environmental justice initiatives, say Susan Richardson and Jeffrey Davidson at Kilpatrick Townsend.
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High Court's Tribal Water Rights Ruling Steadies The Boat
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Arizona v. Navajo Nation — concerning the federal government's obligations to help secure tribal access to water — overturns a Ninth Circuit decision that could have undermined existing state adjudication processes and unleashed a wave of tribal water rights claims, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Perspectives
Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice
Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.
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Why Seminole Tribe Sports Betting Ruling Is A Net Positive
The D.C. Circuit Court’s recent ruling that a gambling compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe is lawful even though it allows for online sports betting expands the tribe's offerings while maintaining exclusivity and is a win for individuals who wish to legally wager on sports within Florida, says Daniel McGinn at Dean Mead.
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Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too
While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.
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Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions
As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.
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Opinion
The Case For Seating The Cherokee Nation's Delegate
The U.S. government should follow through on its obligation to seat a delegate from the Cherokee Nation in the U.S. House of Representatives, as explicitly promised in a treaty ratified nearly 200 years ago, says Jack Baker at the National Trail of Tears Association.
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Sackett Ruling, 'Waters' Rule Fix Won't Dry Up Wetlands Suits
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency narrowing the scope of Clean Water Act protections, the Biden administration is amending its rule defining "waters of the United States" — but the revised rule will inevitably face further court challenges, continuing the WOTUS legal saga indefinitely, say attorneys at Milbank.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Errors, Experience, Corrective Action
In this month's bid protest spotlight, Krista Nunez at MoFo looks at three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office considering the resolution of proposal inconsistencies through clarifications, the importance of reading solicitations in full and the scope of an agency’s corrective action.
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Minn. Mine Denial Stresses Importance Of Tribal Partnerships
The Army Corps of Engineers' decision to revoke a suspended Clean Water Act permit for a proposed mine in Minnesota is a reminder that project developers need to take tribal authority and rights seriously and consider early and frequent consultation with tribes, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification
With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.
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Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled
In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.
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EPA Draft Plastic Pollution Plan Offers Opportunities For Cos.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released draft national strategy to prevent plastic pollution, if implemented as is, will have serious implications for waste collection and processing businesses, but also highlights growth opportunities for companies seeking to capitalize on the emerging circular economy, say attorneys at DLA Piper.