Native American

  • February 07, 2025

    FERC Says Trump Orders Support DC Circ. Rehearing Bid

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has told the D.C. Circuit that President Donald Trump's revocation of two environmental executive orders dating back decades shows that the appeals court's vacatur of two FERC reauthorizations of liquefied natural gas projects was unjustified.

  • February 07, 2025

    Native American Rights Fund Builds On Its Successes

    Long a go-to litigator in Indian Country, the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund is stepping up to meet the high demand for its legal advocacy, moving to a larger headquarters and adding attorneys in recent years.

  • February 07, 2025

    Justices Deny Trump DOJ's Bid To Delay Three Energy Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's request to pause three cases so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can review Biden-era regulatory decisions that may alter the government's legal positions.

  • February 06, 2025

    Wash. Tribe Can't Open 50-Year-Old Fishing Rights Dispute

    The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe cannot open a new subproceeding in a 50-year-old case about tribal fishing rights, a Washington federal judge has ruled, finding that the tribe's request is "dead on arrival."

  • February 06, 2025

    Bipartisan US Senators Reintroduce Tribal Public Safety Bill

    Two Republican U.S. senators have joined two Democratic senators in reintroducing a bipartisan bill that would support the recruitment of Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers and improve efforts to resolve missing persons cases.

  • February 06, 2025

    Ala. Tribe Fights Bid To Renew Burial Grounds Row

    The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is asking a federal district court to deny a bid by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to renew a complaint in a dispute over an Alabama burial site, arguing the new claims should have been added to the original lawsuit more than a decade ago.

  • February 06, 2025

    EPA Places 168 Environmental Justice Workers On Leave

    Scores of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency workers who have been focused on environmental justice issues were placed on leave Thursday, in line with the Trump administration's promise to largely abandon that area of work.

  • February 05, 2025

    California Tribes Sue Feds Over 'Massive' Casino Project

    The Wintu Tribe of Northern California and the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians hauled several federal agencies into Washington, D.C., federal court for allegedly greenlighting a plan to turn over 220 acres of Indigenous territory into a "massive" casino development without evaluating the environmental impact or the land's cultural significance.

  • February 05, 2025

    Federal Recognition Reg May Not Survive Trump, Tribe Fears

    The Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians has asked a D.C. federal judge not to toss its case looking to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to finalize a rule governing which tribes can gain federal recognition, saying President Donald Trump's administration may kill the new rule.

  • February 05, 2025

    Alaska Sues In DC Over Tribe's Anchorage Gaming Hall

    The state of Alaska is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior and an Alaska Native tribe in D.C. federal court, seeking to wipe out a series of agency decisions the state says upended jurisdictional authority over Alaska lands and authorized the tribe to operate a gaming hall in Anchorage.

  • February 05, 2025

    Cuts To Medicaid Will Devastate Tribal Healthcare, Experts Say

    As talks of big funding slashes to Medicaid loom among federal lawmakers, Indigenous communities say they will face devastating losses if any anticipated legislation passes, leading to cuts in Indian Country's healthcare workforce, a large gap in services for children and a rise in preventable illnesses.

  • February 05, 2025

    GOP Lawmakers Move To Scrap Methane Emissions Fee

    Republican lawmakers revived legislation seeking to block implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane emissions fee, as part of a broader effort to bolster the Trump administration's U.S. energy dominance policy.

  • February 04, 2025

    Tribe's IHS Debt Suit Cut But Overcollection Claims Remain

    A Nebraska federal judge partly tossed a tribe's amended suit challenging the Indian Health Service's contention that it overpaid the tribe by $3.2 million due to an administrative oversight, finding the tribe waited too long to sue, but he allowed claims alleging overcollection of the debt to continue.

  • February 04, 2025

    Calif. AG Backs Tribes In Bid To Protect Cultural Resources

    California's attorney general has won his bid to intervene in a consolidated suit challenging a county's approvals for a roadside attraction proposed to be built along Highway 101, saying the county violated environmental standards and failed to consult with Native American tribes.

  • February 04, 2025

    EPA, Interior Leaders Unveil Focus On US Energy Production

    The heads of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled plans for their agencies that largely focus on bolstering President Donald Trump's U.S. energy dominance policy. 

  • February 04, 2025

    White House Lacks Authority To Issue NEPA Regs, Judge Says

    The White House Council on Environmental Quality has no authority to issue binding National Environmental Policy Act regulations, a North Dakota judge has ruled, scrapping challenged regulations the Biden administration had enacted.

  • February 04, 2025

    Cherokee Nation, Group Spar Over Ark. Casino License Docs

    A federal district court is set to determine if the officers of a ballot issue committee backing an Arkansas amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business' casino license and the public affairs firm must hand over documentation in the dispute.

  • February 04, 2025

    US, Osage Nation Fight Bid To Stay $4.2M Wind Farm Order

    The U.S. government is fighting a bid by Enel Green Power North America to stay a $4.2 million judgment and permanent injunction that requires it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation's reservation, arguing that the company is unlikely to prevail in a Tenth Circuit appeal.

  • February 03, 2025

    Ruling Boosts Claims In Ill. Tribal Casino Row, 7th Circ. Told

    A proposed tribal casino in the Illinois city of Waukegan has told the Seventh Circuit that a recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling in a related case shows the city is responsible for a constitutional injury against the casino as it presses a case claiming intentional discrimination.

  • February 03, 2025

    DOJ Poised To Prosecute Threat-Makers Against DOGE

    A federal prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump offered Elon Musk his office's support to "protect" the work of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency headed by the billionaire businessman, including "legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people."

  • February 03, 2025

    Don't Give Tribes 'Veto Power' In Alaska Deployment, FCC Told

    A group of Alaska rural carriers told the Federal Communications Commission on Monday it should not give Native American tribes "veto power" over federally funded broadband deployment projects, which they described as a "DEI approach" from the Biden era.

  • February 03, 2025

    Trump Must Not Undercut Sovereignty In Orders, Tribes Say

    A coalition of tribal organizations is calling on the Trump administration to ensure that recent executive orders don't undermine the sovereign political status of Indigenous nations with which the federal government has trust and treaty obligations or disrupt essential funding that flows from that relationship.

  • February 03, 2025

    Relief In Tribal Casino Fight Would Be Uncommon, Court Told

    An Oregon tribe at the center of a dispute over the federal government's decision to approve a land-into-trust application for the state's first off-reservation casino says any attempt to void the process is moot, telling a federal court that an unfavorable ruling in the case would be unprecedented.

  • February 03, 2025

    DC Judge Joins RI In Blocking Trump Funding Freeze

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing a freeze on federal spending while a group of nonprofits sue over the move, ruling the pause appears to "suffer from infirmities of a constitutional magnitude."

  • January 31, 2025

    Amid Suits, Wis. Tribe Tickets For Use Of Contested Roads

    A Wisconsin tribe embroiled in an ongoing dispute with the town of Lac du Flambeau over four tribal roads said they will ticket anyone who trespasses on them following a federal court ruling that said it couldn't restrict access to non-Native American homeowners.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 High Court Rulings May Shape Health Org. Litigation Tactics

    Author Photo

    Three separate decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term — Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy — will likely strengthen healthcare organizations' ability to affirmatively sue executive agencies to challenge regulations governing operations and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

    Author Photo

    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

    Author Photo

    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

    Author Photo

    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

    Author Photo

    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

    Author Photo

    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

    Author Photo

    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

    Author Photo

    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • How Loper Bright Weakens NEPA Enviro Justice Strategy

    Author Photo

    The National Environmental Policy Act is central to the Biden administration's environmental justice agenda — but the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo casts doubt on the government's ability to rely on NEPA for this purpose, and a pending federal case will test the strategy's limits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

    Author Photo

    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Native American archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!