Indian Law, Court Decisions, Indian Policy

Law in Indian Country

Red Fawn Fallis sentenced to nearly five years for #NoDAPL incident
A non-fatal gun incident will keep Dakota Access Pipeline opponent Red Fawn Fallis in federal prison.

Chevron told to pay $9.5 billion judgment to indigenous communities
Indigenous leaders in Ecuador are celebrating but they might never see the $9.5 billion judgment for pollution in their communities.

White Mountain Apache man sentenced for death of 16-year-old girl
'She was destined to accomplish so much,' the sister of young victim Katherine Irene Tortice said.

Dakota Access sued for failing to sell ranch at Standing Rock
Corporations aren't supposed to own ranches in North Dakota but Dakota Access got away with it in the name of a $3.8 billion oil pipeline.

A conservative majority: Supreme Court shifts to the right
The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh gives the Supreme Court a solid conservative majority, worrying some advocates about the fate of abortion rights and other issues.

Charges filed for deaths of Lakota mother and her 14-year-old son
A driver is facing just a year in jail for a crash that took the lives of Lynell Morrison-Cash and her son, Waylon, 14.

#NativeLivesMatter

Native Americans are more likely to be killed by law enforcement than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.

Community on Navajo Nation terrorized by 'Red Skin Kingz' gang
The leaders of the Red Skin Kingz, a violent gang on the Navajo Nation, were finally brought to justice after years of brutal crimes.

Appeals court rules against Winnebago tribal corporation in tobacco case
Businesses owned by the Winnebago Tribe must turn over tobacco records to federal authorities, according to a new court ruling.

'We will win': Treaty tribes continue to stand up for salmon
We will never stop fighting to protect and restore salmon habitat because that is the key to recovery.

Turtle Talk: Justice Kennedy was terrible for Indian Country
Of 55 Indian law cases decided by the Supreme Court between 1988 and 2018 Anthony Kennedy ruled against tribes a whopping 80 percent of the time.

Tribes defer to federal authorities after Oklahoma voters approve marijuana
Voters in Oklahoma eagerly embraced marijuana for medical purposes this week but don't expect to partake in Indian Country.

Wild ride continues as Supreme Court agrees to hear another treaty case
Indian Country is preparing for another busy season at the Supreme Court amid a political firestorm.

Chris Winters: The Supreme Court's disastrous term shows why elections matter
With Republicans in control of the Supreme Court, only voter pushback can restore balance to Congress.

Navajo Nation raises treaty in opposition to Trump reorganization
The Navajo Nation has come up a pointed argument against the Trump administration's reorganization of the Department of the Interior.

Supreme Court goes out with a bang as key justice departs
The Supreme Court will be undergoing another shakeup in the Trump era with the departure of a key member who has played a critical role in Indian law cases.

Blackfeet Nation sends warning to drug dealers with banishment decision
The Blackfeet Nation is accusing federal prosecutors of failing to take action against drug dealers.

U.S. Attorney: Substance abuse on the rise in Indian Country
Tribal communities have been hit particularly hard by drugs, including opioids and methamphetamine.

'Bigotry hook, line, and sinker': Supreme Court backs Trump's travel ban
President Trump’s executive order barring travelers coming from six countries with Muslim majorities, is now a permanent part of U.S. immigration policy.

'I only want my daughter': Migrant mother separated from 12-year-old girl
A Guatemalan woman who was separated from her daughter after they crossed the border is suing the federal government to get her child back.

Secretary Zinke censors photo of his 'Make America Great Again' socks
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke likes to focus on his feet.

Prosecutors drop charges in fatal stabbing on Northern Cheyenne Reservation
Federal prosecutors have dropped charges in connection with a fatal stabbing on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.

Tribes eligible for victim services funding for the first time
Thanks to bipartisan action on Capitol Hill, tribes are receiving a set-aside of the national Crime Victims Fund for the first time.

Supreme Court delivers bad news to tribes as term draws to a close
The nation's highest court won't be letting Indian Country rest over the summer.

'No question at all': More Indigenous families are crossing the border
Language barriers mean Indigenous families may be more likely to be split up when they cross into the United States.

Graham Lee Brewer: Colonial violence on the Tohono O'odham Nation
Tribal members positioned to help Border Patrol are instead getting run down by its agents.

Cronkite News: Trump shifts immigration debate to crime after rocky week
So-called 'Angel Families' told President Trump that separation of families is a small price to pay for border security.

States win big victory with Supreme Court ruling on online taxation
The nation's highest court has opened the door for states to impose taxes on internet sales, a major development that further encroaches on tribal efforts to expand their economies.

Cronkite News: Trump reverses course on separation of families
Between May 5 and June 9, more than 2,300 children were taken from their parents after attempted crossings at the U.S. border.

'The administration has the power': Trump team defends family separation policy
Republican John McCain called the forced separation of families an 'affront to the decency of the American people' as the Trump administration continued to defend the controversial policy.

Alaska in focus at Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on subsistence
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is focusing on Native subsistence just as the Supreme Court takes up a case with potential impacts.

Supreme Court poised to take action on some major Indian law petitions
The Supreme Court is almost finished with its current term, one in which Indian Country fared surprisingly well. But the drama isn't over yet.

Bill to repeal old ban on distilleries in Indian Country gains steam
Bipartisan efforts to repeal an outdated ban on distilleries in Indian Country continue to gain momentum on Capitol Hill.

Harold Frazier: Tribes once again deprived of voice in Keystone XL fight
I am constantly amazed about the ability of the powers that be to keep doing what is morally wrong while justifying it as legally right.

Colville Tribes enter second year of hemp production with bigger grow
The Colville Tribes are expanding their hemp operation in Washington state.

Bill John Baker: Cherokee Nation works to protect Native women and children
Native women suffer from violent crime at some of the highest rates in the United States.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs schedules hearing on subsistence
Key members of Congress are taking a look a subsistence, just a week after tribes scored an unusual victory in a treaty rights case.