Native American

  • August 02, 2024

    McKinsey's $78M Opioid Deal With Health Plans Gets OK

    A California federal judge said Friday he'll approve McKinsey & Co. Inc.'s $78 million deal to resolve claims on behalf of approximately 42,000 third-party payors, with class counsel receiving $15.1 million in fees, after the initial settlement was tweaked due to objections from some plaintiffs' attorneys.

  • August 02, 2024

    Navajo Restrict Radioactive Transport On Reservation Lands

    For the next six months, no radioactive material can be transported across the Navajo Nation's reservation without prior agreement with the country's largest federally recognized tribe, according to an executive order signed by President Buu Nygren.

  • August 02, 2024

    Mich. AG Says Enbridge 6th Circ. Rehearing Bid Is Meritless

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is fighting Enbridge Energy's bid for a full Sixth Circuit rehearing on a decision to send a challenge to its Line 5 pipeline back to state court, saying none of the company's arguments against remand are viable.

  • August 02, 2024

    Tribes Seek Commission's Help On Canada Mining Policy

    A consortium of southeast Alaska tribes is urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to call on Canada and British Columbia to formally consult and obtain their "free, prior and informed consent" ahead of looming permitting decisions for the Eskay Creek gold mine.

  • August 02, 2024

    More Tribes Suing Social Media For Teen Addiction, Suicides

    Two more Native American tribes have filed suit against a slew of social media companies, alleging that over the past decade they've contributed to a growing body of research that directly links their platforms to a youth mental health crisis that's plaguing Indian Country.

  • August 01, 2024

    Conservation Groups Take Aim At ESA Regs

    Conservation groups are asking a California federal judge to throw out Endangered Species Act regulations put forward earlier this year, claiming federal agencies shortchanged their environmental review duties and moved ahead with changes that will harm the imperiled plants and animals the statute is supposed to protect.

  • August 01, 2024

    Groups Say DC Circ.'s Toss Of FERC OK Boosts Their Case

    Conservation groups and the city of Port Isabel, Texas, told the D.C. Circuit that its recent decision to vacate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a Northeast pipeline expansion supports their challenge of the commission's decision to approve two Texas liquefied natural gas facilities.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Tribe Can't Toss Casino Card Check Award, For Now

    A California tribe's bid to nix an arbitration award over an authorization card check process with UNITE HERE can't proceed for now, a federal judge ruled, saying the tribe's counsel didn't discuss the motion with the union's attorney before submitting it.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ayahuasca Church Can't Get $2.1M For Atty Fees

    Attorneys for a Phoenix-based church won't get their fees increased or have any part of their pay covered by the government, an Arizona federal judge has ruled, saying the church is not the winning party in its suit against several federal agencies because the court "never placed its stamp of approval" on a deal that allows the church to use ayahuasca.

  • July 31, 2024

    EPA Looks To Dismiss States' Water Rule Challenge

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking a Louisiana federal court to toss a group of conservative-leaning states' and energy industry groups' lawsuit attempting to sink its rule broadening states' and tribes' power to veto infrastructure projects over water quality concerns.

  • July 31, 2024

    Pipeline Cos. Can Join FERC Approval Fight

    Companies behind a liquefied natural gas facility in Sonora, Mexico, and the Saguaro Connector Pipeline that will help serve it can weigh in on a challenge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals for the pipeline, the D.C. Circuit said Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Telecom Trespassing On Reservation Land, Oregon Tribes Say

    Lumen Technologies Inc. is trespassing on territory that belongs to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and has been for years, according to a lawsuit accusing the telecom of continuing to operate on an expired lease instead of striking a new deal for miles of laid fiber.

  • July 31, 2024

    Historical Association Backs Tribes In SunZia Power Line Row

    The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers is asking the Ninth Circuit to intervene in a challenge by a coalition of Native American tribes and environmentalists seeking to block SunZia Transmission from routing a 520-mile power line through important cultural and historical sites in the San Pedro Valley.

  • July 31, 2024

    Final DOI Report Finds Nearly 1,000 Died At Boarding Schools

    Nearly 1,000 Indigenous children died while attending federal government-run boarding schools, according to the Department of Interior's second — and final — report that follows a three-year investigation into harsh conditions the students were forced to endure over the course of more than a century.

  • July 30, 2024

    Tribe Says Sovereignty 'Sea Change' At Stake In Tobacco Row

    A California tribe has opposed the U.S. government's bid to toss its suit fighting placement on a "non-compliant list" under a law that targets tobacco trafficking, telling a federal judge that forcing it to stop sales would cause a "sea change" in tribal sovereignty.

  • July 30, 2024

    Insurer Says Interior Dept. Must Face $20M Tribal Loan Claims

    U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland waited too long to assert that an Ohio federal court cannot hear the case an insurer brought against it over a $20 million tribal loan guarantee, and the suit should be transferred to the Court of Federal Claims instead of being dismissed, the insurer has argued.

  • July 30, 2024

    Psychedelics And The Law: A Midyear Review

    A groundbreaking effort to secure federal approval for a psychedelic medication hit an unexpected snag. Religious groups asserting the right to access controlled substances had mixed success in federal court. Physicians seeking to administer psilocybin to terminally ill patients will finally have their day in court. Here are the major developments in psychedelics law from the first half of 2024.

  • July 29, 2024

    Bishops Say Boarding School Bill Lacks Churches' Input

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says two federal bills that will create a commission charged with making policy recommendations to address the legacy of Indian boarding schools lack any religious representation and give unnecessary broad subpoena power over its churches' historical records.

  • July 29, 2024

    Utilities Seek 8th Circ. Freeze Of Power Plant Effluent Rule

    Utility companies, trade groups and nearly two dozen states are urging the Eighth Circuit to pause a challenged rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants, arguing that it will otherwise force utilities to commit to unreasonable investments or plant retirements.

  • July 29, 2024

    6th Circ. Revives Challenge Of Clean Water Rule

    Just 11 days after oral arguments, the Sixth Circuit on Monday revived Kentucky and industry groups' challenges to a federal government rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, finding a district court judge had improperly dismissed the case.

  • July 26, 2024

    2 Calif. Tribal Gaming Talks Advance, 1 Awaits DOI Assist

    Negotiations between two California tribes and the state over sports gaming compacts are winding down after nearly a year, while another tribe awaits intervention from the U.S. Department of the Interior to assist in talks after the Golden State failed to consent to a third agreement.

  • July 26, 2024

    Cherokee Entities Look To Dismiss Casino Licensing Dispute

    Two Cherokee Nation entities are asking a federal district court to toss a Mississippi casino's bid to void an Arkansas gaming license issued to the federally recognized tribe's entertainment business, arguing that the lawsuit was filed two years too late.

  • July 26, 2024

    Feds Invest $240M In Pacific Tribal Fish Hatchery Efforts

    Hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead will get $240 million in federal funding as the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Commerce Department look to restore fish in the Columbia River Basin and mitigate the impacts of dams on tribes, the U.S. government said.

  • July 26, 2024

    Washington Cases To Watch 2024: A Midyear Report

    Two Washington tribes are testing whether they can hold Big Oil companies accountable in state court for climate change-related catastrophes, the attorney general is defending a ban on large-capacity gun magazines, and a key test of the state's anti-patent troll law is set for trial.

  • July 25, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives FCA Dispute Over Small Biz Contracts

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday revived a whistleblower False Claims Act case alleging new owners of a construction firm fraudulently secured orders under a program for disadvantaged small businesses, saying those owners should have told the Small Business Administration about the ownership switch.

Expert Analysis

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

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    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Opinion

    3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point

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    The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

  • For Tribes, Online Gambling May Soon Be A Safe Bet

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    The Bureau of Indian Affairs' proposed changes to the Indian Gaming Regulation Act would expressly allow tribes to execute compacts with states that enable online gambling and sports betting activities, strengthening tribes' ability to position themselves in the gambling industry despite protests from casino operators, says Blair Will at Hall Estill.

  • Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

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    As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

  • How High Court Is Assessing Tribal Law Questions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's four rulings on tribal issues from this term show that Justice Neil Gorsuch's extensive experience in federal Native American law brings helpful experience to the court but does not necessarily guarantee favorable outcomes for tribal interests, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    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.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    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.

  • Assessing EPA's Potential Retreat On Title VI Enforcement

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    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.

  • High Court's Tribal Water Rights Ruling Steadies The Boat

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    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.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    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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