Tribe says sovereign immunity protects it from paying $1M attorney fees in Baby Veronica case

The Cherokee Nation says in court papers filed last week that sovereign immunity protects it from efforts to collect more than $1 million in legal fees by lawyers for the adoptive parents of the child known as Baby Veronica. The tribe says the fee request is “inappropriate, unreasonable and unconscionable,”…

Nov 25, 2013 7:35 PM CST

SCOTUS sides with adoptive couple, says Indian Child Welfare Act doesn’t apply

In a bitter custody dispute between a South Carolina adoptive couple and a child’s Native American birth father, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the adoptive parents. In Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion (PDF), he states that the Indian Child Welfare Act, which was enacted to prevent the “wholesale…

Jun 25, 2013 6:45 PM CDT

Federal judge sequesters 19 lawyers in jury room, tells them to ‘identify genuine issues’ by 2 pm

A federal judge put 19 lawyers in his Salt Lake City jury room on Monday morning and told them he hoped they would “identify genuine issues” in a nearly 40-year-old case over the prosecution of crimes on an Indian reservation by the time he returns to the bench at 2…

Jun 24, 2013 6:50 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Hear Adoption Case Involving Baby Veronica and American Indian Dad

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an adoption dispute involving a toddler named Veronica and an American Indian father who initially renounced his parental rights by text message. The Supreme Court granted cert on Friday, report the New York Times, SCOTUSblog and The BLT: The Blog of Legal…

Jan 7, 2013 2:38 PM CST

October 28, 1867: Medicine Lodge Treaty Is Signed

Oct 1, 2012 5:10 AM CDT

New Mexico Law School Dean Nominated to Head Bureau of Indian Affairs

Kevin Washburn, dean of the University of New Mexico Law School, was recently nominated to head the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. A member of Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation, the Associated Press reports, Washburn has led the law school since 2009. If the nomination is confirmed, Washburn will replace Larry Echo…

Aug 7, 2012 4:26 PM CDT

Economics and Culture Both Put Their Stamp on Ethics Rules in Tribal Courts

Mar 1, 2011 9:43 AM CST

Navajo Nation Supreme Court Disbars Lawyer for His Contrary Legal Advice

The Navajo Nation Supreme Court has permanently disbarred a lawyer for advising Najavo nation lawmakers to ignore its rulings. The court ordered lawyer Frank Seanez to be removed from the Navajo Bar Association, which prohibits him from practicing law on the reservation, the Associated Press and the Navajo Times report.…

Oct 25, 2010 1:58 PM CDT

Living History

If you’re thinking about a family vacation that would include some real-life civics lessons, you might want to consider heading to Tahlequah, Okla.

Jul 1, 2010 9:40 AM CDT

Law Professor, Judge and Legal Advocacy Group Share $500K Gruber Prize

A law professor, a judge and a legal advocacy group will share this year’s $500,000 Gruber Foundation International Justice Prize. John Dugard, a lawyer, writer and teacher who has challenged apartheid law in South Africa, Michael Kirby, a retired judge on Australia’s highest court who has championed international human rights…

Jun 16, 2010 12:32 PM CDT

DOJ Calls for Better Law Enforcement on Indian Reservations

Citing an “unacceptable tide of domestic and sexual violence” on Indian reservations, a senior U.S. Department of Justice official has called on federal prosecutors in 33 states to step up law enforcement efforts there. In a memo, David Ogden, a deputy of Attorney General Eric Holder, also promised additional troops—47…

Jan 11, 2010 9:34 PM CST

Okla. High Court Holds Injured Casino Patrons Can Sue in State Courts

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that people injured in Chocktaw casinos can sue in state courts as well as tribal courts. The tribe’s gaming contract with the state had permitted tort suits in “courts of competent jurisdiction” on a limited basis, but did not define the term, lawyer Daniel…

Jul 13, 2009 5:47 PM CDT

Colo. Tribe Enforces 1874 Treaty, Expands Hunting to Public Land

A group of Southern Ute tribesmen from southwest Colorado are about to take a historic journey. It’s not because they need to look elsewhere to find healthy game to hunt, but they are venturing off their designated reservation to hunt on public land to enforce rights bestowed them under a…

Nov 3, 2008 11:32 PM CST

Judge Rules Utah Tribe Is Phony, Throws Out Arbitration Awards

A federal judge has ruled that an Indian tribe formed during a meeting at an Arby’s restaurant in Provo, Utah, is a “complete sham” and the judgments awarded to the group by an arbitration council are phony. The group calls itself the Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band, and…

May 6, 2008 2:24 PM CDT

Status of Late-Recognized Indian Tribes at Issue in High Court Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether the federal government can take land into trust for an Indian tribe, a move that could bar states from preventing the construction of additional Indian casinos on newly acquired land. Indian Country Today says a ruling against tribal interests in the…

Feb 29, 2008 6:55 PM CST