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Native American
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May 13, 2024
US Tells DC Circ. Ayahuasca Church's Settlement Inapt
Federal regulators are telling the D.C. Circuit to ignore a recent settlement that will allow a Phoenix-based church to continue using ayahuasca in its ceremonies, saying it has nothing to do with the Iowa-based ayahuasca church challenging the IRS's refusal to give it tax-exempt status.
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May 13, 2024
FERC Powers Up Major Rewrite Of Grid Planning Policy
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday finalized a long-awaited overhaul of how major electric transmission projects are planned and paid for, with the agency's Republican commissioner claiming his Democratic colleagues are unlawfully favoring clean energy at the expense of state electricity authority.
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May 13, 2024
Texas, Mo. Say Border Contractors Lack Interests To Defend
Texas and Missouri have slammed contractors' attempts to defend the Biden administration's plans to use border wall construction funds to remediate existing barriers, telling a Texas federal court that the group lacks a direct interest in the case's outcome.
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May 10, 2024
Ill. Residents Ask Court To Void Alaskan Tribal Co. Loans
Six borrowers accusing an Alaska-based tribal lending company of making usurious loans at annual rates of as much as 700% or more have filed suit in Illinois federal court, saying it violated racketeering laws and must void the already existing debt.
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May 10, 2024
Ariz. GOP Wants A Say In VRA Dispute Headed For 9th Circ.
The Arizona Republican Party wants to intervene in a Voting Rights Act dispute headed for the Ninth Circuit, arguing that it intends to defend the validity of the provisions of two state redistricting laws that a lower court found violated federal law.
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May 10, 2024
Oil Giants Say Tribal Climate Change Row Must Stay Federal
Several giant oil companies are fighting a bid by two Native American tribes to remand their consolidated case to state court, telling a Washington federal district court that the claims brought by tribes have always been governed by federal law.
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May 10, 2024
EPA Tightens Copper-Smelting Toxic Emissions Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing regulations it says will reduce toxic, cancer-causing emissions from copper-smelting facilities.
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May 09, 2024
Efforts To Enact Savanna's Act Falling Short, Lawmakers Say
Two U.S. senators behind a law aimed at reforming law enforcement protocols to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native American women are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to step up its efforts to finalize its implementation.
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May 09, 2024
Judge Halts DEA's Hearing On Proposed Psychedelics Ban
An administrative law judge with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has ordered the agency to cancel a June 10 hearing on its proposal to ban two psychedelic substances while a researcher's federal lawsuit challenging the agency's actions plays out in court, according to an order made public Thursday.
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May 09, 2024
Caremark Can Seek Arb. In Oklahoma Tribe's Prescription Suit
An Oklahoma federal court judge has paused a dispute between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Caremark LLC until the pharmaceutical company can resolve a bid to compel the tribe into arbitration in an Arizona court over unpaid reimbursement claims.
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May 09, 2024
Red States, Electric Co-Ops Challenge EPA Power Plant Rules
Twenty-seven Republican-led states and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association called on the D.C. Circuit Thursday to unravel the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new source performance standards for greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric generating units.
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May 09, 2024
Biden Seeks To Elevate Interior Dept. Official To No. 2 Post
The White House announced Thursday that President Joe Biden intends to nominate Fish and Wildlife Assistant Secretary Shannon A. Estenoz as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
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May 08, 2024
Tribes And Groups Urge 9th Circ. To Uphold TikTok Ban Pause
Free speech and internet advocacy groups, as well a Native American nonprofit and two tribes, are urging the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court's decision that blocks Montana from banning social app TikTok, arguing that First Amendment protections include such media platforms.
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May 08, 2024
ND Changes Course In Residents' High Court VRA Dispute
In a move Native American tribes are calling "unconscionable," North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate and remand Voting Rights Act litigation, saying the state is unable to defend the basis for which it won the lawsuit.
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May 08, 2024
BIA Tells 8th Circ. Energy Co. Can't Revive Lease Suit
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs has asked the Eighth Circuit to uphold a North Dakota federal judge's dismissal of Prima Exploration Inc.'s oil and gas lease termination suit, saying the lower court correctly dismissed the case for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
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May 08, 2024
In Final Memo, Blumenauer Eyes Path Forward For Cannabis
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a longtime champion of cannabis reform in Congress who plans to retire this year, is calling marijuana reform a "winning issue" for policymakers and outlined numerous actions both legislators and federal agencies can take to move the issue forward.
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May 08, 2024
Mont. Tribe Says Feds Must Sign Law Enforcement Contract
The Northern Cheyenne Tribe has accused the U.S. government of failing to provide the tribe with adequate law enforcement services, urging a Montana federal judge to order it to sign a tribal self-determination contract with an annual funding amount of at least $325,829.
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May 07, 2024
DOI Gives States And Tribes $148M For Drought Resiliency
The U.S. Department of the Interior has said it has invested nearly $148 million to help states and Native American tribes prepare for water reliability challenges due to drought and other scarcity concerns, saying the money will go to 42 projects in 10 states.
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May 07, 2024
PolyMet Land Swap Discovery Order Paused, For Now
PolyMet Mining doesn't have to produce information it had previously withheld in a Minnesota tribe's challenge to undo a land swap, a federal district court determined after the company asked for emergency relief to avoid any potential harm it said could come from wrongfully disclosing privileged documentation.
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May 07, 2024
Alaska Tribes Say USDA Didn't Consult On Broadband Grants
Two Alaskan tribes are taking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to federal court after they say the agency gave away $70 million in funds meant to help connect them to the internet after falsely declaring them "served" without checking with the tribes, as they were legally obligated to do.
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May 07, 2024
Energy Dept. Says Red States Can't Block LNG Export Pause
The U.S. Department of Energy has asked a Louisiana federal judge to toss a group of Republican-led states' lawsuit challenging a pause on reviewing applications to export liquefied natural gas to non-free trade agreement countries, saying the states have created a "false narrative" about the move.
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May 06, 2024
US Army Looks To Dismiss Tribe's Repatriation Lawsuit
The U.S. Army is seeking to dismiss efforts by a Native American tribe to repatriate the remains of two boys from one of the largest former Indian boarding schools in the country, arguing that it is "ready and willing" to assist to return them to their final resting places.
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May 06, 2024
Tribes, Groups Seek 9th Circ. Stay In Power Line Ruling
Two Native American tribes and conservation groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a stay on an order that allows work to continue on a $10 billion power line, saying that without an emergency injunction, SunZia Transmission LLC will race to finish erecting its remaining towers before an appeal can be resolved.
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May 06, 2024
Chickasaw Can't Reopen Optum Prescription Payback Suit
An Oklahoma federal judge has denied a bid by the Chickasaw Nation to reopen its lawsuit over prescription reimbursement claims, ruling that the tribe has not met its burden of showing that provider UnitedHealth Group's Optum waived its right to arbitration.
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May 06, 2024
Prof's Free Speech Suit Over Native Land Statement Falls Flat
A federal judge has tossed a professor's suit alleging the University of Washington violated his First Amendment rights after he opposed including an acknowledgment of Native Americans in his syllabus for a computer science course, saying his stance created a burden for the school.
Expert Analysis
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
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Futility Exception To Remanding Rule Could Be On Last Legs
A recent Fifth Circuit decision squarely confronting the futility exception to remanding cases with insufficient subject matter jurisdiction leaves the Ninth Circuit alone on one side of a circuit split, portending a tenuous future for the exception, say Brett Venn and Davis Williams at Jones Walker.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
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What New EPA Enforcement Initiatives Mean For Industry
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent announcement that climate change, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and coal ash will be major investigation and enforcement targets in the coming years, the oil and gas, chemical, and waste management sectors should anticipate increased scrutiny, say Jonathan Brightbill and Madalyn Feiger at Winston & Strawn.
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Bat's Newly Endangered Status Likely To Slow Development
A recent change in the classification of the northern long-eared bat from "threatened" to "endangered" could have significant effects on development in large portions of the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. — and in the absence of straightforward guidelines, developers will have to assess each project individually, says Peter McGrath at Moore & Van Allen.
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Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.
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Offshore Wind Auction Results Portend Difficulties In Gulf
Results of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's recent auction of the Gulf of Mexico lease areas tell different stories about the future of offshore wind in the U.S., with the Gulf’s low interest suggesting uncertainty and the Mid-Atlantic’s strong interest suggesting a promising market, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.