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Makah men face sentencing for illegal whale hunt (06/27)
Five members of the Makah Nation of Washington who hunted a whale without a federal permit will be sentenced on Monday. Wayne Johnson and Andy Noel pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Federal prosecutors...
North Dakota Supreme Court rejects ICWA ruling (06/27)
The North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday refused to apply the Indian Child Welfare Act in a case involving a child who is eligible for membership in the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. In briefs, the tribe determined that...
9th Circuit ruling in Shoshone-Bannock case (06/27)
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling today in a dispute between the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Idaho and the world's largest producer of phosphorous. The federal government and FMC Corporation entered into an agreement over the operation of...
South Dakota court rules in boarding school cases (06/27)
The South Dakota Supreme Court issued rulings in two boarding school cases on Thursday. In Zephier v. Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, nine former students of the St. Paul’s School on the Yankton Sioux Reservation sued over alleged abuse. A...
Navajo president opposes ouster of top lawyer (06/27)
Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. says there are no grounds to remove the tribe's top lawyer from office. Navajo Nation Council is considering legislation to remove attorney general Louis Denetsosie. Some delegates are upset that he issued a legal...
Suit over Mashpee Wampanoag shunning dismissed (06/27)
A judge in Massachusetts dismissed a second lawsuit filed by members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe who were shunned for questioning tribal leaders. Four tribal members who wanted a closer look at the tribe's finances were barred from tribal...
Supreme Court limits tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians (06/26)
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday limited tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians in a 5-4 decision that was split along conservative and liberal lines. In the eyes of many in Indian Country, Plains Commerce Bank v. Long was a contract dispute...
Alaska Natives get small share of Exxon judgment (06/26)
Alaska Native villages and corporations will only get a small share of the damage award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, The Anchorage Daily News reports. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday said Exxon only has to pay $507.5...
Judge issues ruling in Yankton Sioux hog farm case (06/26)
A federal judge issued a written ruling in a lawsuit brought by members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe against a hog farm in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. In the three-page order, Judge Lawrence Piersol confirmed that the 40-acre hog...
Cherokee Nation marshal kills fugitive in Oklahoma (06/26)
A Cherokee Nation marshal shot and killed a fugitive in Oklahoma on Tuesday. Marty Workman, 30, was wanted on an arrest warrant from Arkansas. He barricaded himself in a home in Stilwell, Oklahoma, where local police requested the assistance of...
10th Circuit asked to rehear Wyoming eagle case (06/26)
A member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming is asking the 10th Circuit Court of Appealsto rehear his religious rights case. Winslow Friday, 23, shot a band eagle for use in a Sun Dance ceremony. He was prosecuted for...
High court bars death penalty in non-homicide cases (06/26)
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday bars the use of the death penalty in a non-homicide case. By a 5-4 vote, the justices said the death penalty is restricted to homicide cases and crimes against the state. Two men who...
Supreme Court cuts down Exxon oil spill damages (06/25)
The U.S. Supreme Court today drastically reduced the damage award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill case. A federal judge awarded $5 billion to 33,000 Alaska Natives, fishermen, landowners and other plaintiffs. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently...
Supreme Court reverses tribal jurisdiction ruling (06/25)
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota does not have jurisdiction over a non-Indian bank doing business on the reservation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today. In Plains Commerce Bank v. Long, tribal members sued Plains Commerce Bank of...
Report: DOJ broke law in hiring young attorneys (06/25)
Political appointees at the Department of Justice violated the law and broke policy by basing hiring decisions on perceived political affiliation, according to an internal report. A large percentage of qualified candidates for the department's Honors Program and Summer Law...
Two big rulings awaited from Supreme Court (06/24)
Update: Both rulings were issued on Wednesday. • Supreme Court reverses tribal jurisdiction ruling (6/25) • Supreme Court cuts down Exxon oil spill damages (6/25) As the U.S. Supreme Court winds down its current term, Indian Country awaits two big...
County sheriff faces charges in Crow tribal court (06/24)
The sheriff in Big Horn County, Montana, faces domestic violence and other charges in Crow tribal court. Lawrence "Pete" Big Hair, a member of the Crow Tribe, is accused of three charges of partner assault. His estranged wife, Caroline...
Ex-BIA official cites need for law enforcement (06/24)
Steve Juneau, a former special agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, says Indian Country is in desperate need of law enforcement. Juneau, who now works for Lamar Associates, says federal funding only meets 44 percent of the staffing needs...
Judge orders evidence search in Aquash murder case (06/24)
A magistrate judge has ordered federal prosecutors to search for more evidence in the murder of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. Magistrate Veronica Duffy wants the government to locate underwear and a sanitary napkin found on Aquash...
Cherokee Nation loses tobacco arbitration ruling (06/24)
An arbitration panel has ruled against the Cherokee Nation in a tobacco tax dispute with the state of Oklahoma. The tribe sought a lower tobacco tax rate under the "Most Favored Nations" clause of its compact with the state. The...
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