Native American

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • May 06, 2024

    Feds Agree To Terminate Pipeline's Right-Of-Way Permit

    A New York federal judge has paused litigation between the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 75 days while the agency terminates a right-of-way permit for a wastewater pipeline, saying it is "in the interest of judicial economy" and recognizing the tribe's concerns.

  • May 03, 2024

    Navajo Ask Biden To Stop Uranium Movement On Tribal Lands

    The Navajo Nation's government leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to halt the transport of uranium ore across the tribe's reservation lands, arguing that the practice disregards its laws and threatens its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

  • May 03, 2024

    Fed Bill Will Give Ga. Its First Nat'l Park, Protect Burial Lands

    Georgia congressional lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish the Peach State's first national park, upgrading the site from its national monument status while also offering protections for more Native American burial mounds.

  • May 03, 2024

    Fla. Business Groups Line Up Behind State In CWA Permit War

    A coalition of national companies and Florida-based business groups is weighing in on behalf of the state in its battle to convince the D.C. Circuit to stay a lower court's ruling that stripped it of the authority to administer a Clean Water Act program.

  • May 03, 2024

    Publix Can't Send Questions To Ga. Justices In Opioid Suit

    A federal judge overseeing national opioid litigation has rejected Publix's bid to ask the Georgia Supreme Court "convoluted and confusing" questions about if the state's public nuisance law applied to allegations the supermarket chain overdistributed painkillers.

  • May 02, 2024

    Congress Wants More Data On Broadband Program's Value

    The Affordable Connectivity Program — which is rapidly running out of money — was on everyone's tongues at a Senate subcommittee hearing on broadband affordability Thursday morning, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on little more than the need for more data on how many Americans rely on the subsidy to stay online.

  • May 02, 2024

    Biden Expands Protections For 2 National Monuments In Calif.

    President Joe Biden on Thursday expanded protections on nearly 120,000 acres of land for two California national monuments considered sacred to Native Americans, while permanently returning one to its original Indigenous name.

  • May 02, 2024

    No Damages For Native Americans In State Prison

    A group of Native Americans is not entitled to millions in compensation for wrongful prosecution and incarceration in state prison, a Federal Circuit panel said, finding that the group's arguments that provisions of two 19th century self-government rights' treaties as "money-mandating" are unpersuasive.

  • May 02, 2024

    Haaland Faces Senate Heat Over Interior Dept.'s Land Policies

    U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland on Tuesday defended her agency's commitment to fostering energy development on public lands as U.S. senators criticized her agency over issues ranging from new rules to the pace of energy leasing and project permitting.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Rules Tribal Co. Is Not Immune In Trade Secrets Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has revived a tribal-owned defense contractor's suit against another tribal-owned competitor and a former employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets, finding the competitor agreed to federal court jurisdiction when it participated in the bidding process for work on a missile detection system.

  • May 01, 2024

    DC Circ. Scrutinizes Social Welfare In Tribe's Land Trust Bid

    The D.C. Circuit on Wednesday grappled with whether a Native American tribe's bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture would promote tribe members' social welfare, as one judge sounded wary of such a move's repercussions.

  • May 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Slams Door On Kids' Climate Case

    The Ninth Circuit ordered an Oregon federal judge Wednesday to immediately dismiss a closely watched suit by young adults against the federal government over the effects of climate change, saying its earlier order to end the matter could not be brushed off.

  • May 01, 2024

    Feds Approve Disaster Aid For Oklahoma Storm Victims

    Three Oklahoma counties will receive federal aid to help recover from severe storms and tornadoes that left four dead and nearly 300 injured last month, with damage totals likely to grow as assessments continue throughout the Sooner State.

  • May 01, 2024

    Tribe Fires Back At Feds' Brief In Enbridge Pipeline Row

    The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians has called on the Seventh Circuit to reject in part the federal government's position in an appeal over the future of Enbridge Energy's controversial Line 5 oil pipeline.

Expert Analysis

  • Is There A New 'Moderate Questions' Doctrine?

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent Heating v. EPA decision signals that courts may begin to approach agency reliance on general statutory authorization with skepticism similar to the "major questions" doctrine the U.S. Supreme Court announced in West Virginia v. EPA last year, even in less major cases, says Jason Neal at HWG.

  • DC Circ.'s Perchlorate Ruling Means Regulatory Restart

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling in National Resources Defense Council v. Regan, requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act, reopens a decadeslong regulatory debate and creates renewed uncertainty for companies, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

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    The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Road Ahead For EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts

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    Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency actions could help the Biden administration's goals of decarbonizing the electricity sector, but they will have to potentially overcome technical, legal and political challenges, says Andrew Shaw at Dentons.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks

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    Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.

  • What Purdue Ch. 11 Means For Future Of Third-Party Releases

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    The Second Circuit’s highly anticipated ruling approving Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan establishes stringent factors that lower courts must consider before approving nonconsensual third-party releases, but the circuit split on the matter means the issue is far from resolved, say Gregory Hesse and Kollin Bender at Hunton.

  • Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip

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    After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • NEPA Reforms May Aid Project Speed, But Red Tape Remains

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    The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 included amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act that are designed to streamline the federal environmental review process for infrastructure projects, but coordination with agencies and early stakeholder engagement are still likelier to lead to successful outcomes than time and page limits, say Jena Maclean and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.

  • Takeaways From Tribes' High Court Adoption Case Victory

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Haaland v. Brackeen, upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act, leaves the door open for individuals to bring equal protection claims, but generally bodes well for future tribal issues that reach the court, says Sarah Murray at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • 5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving

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    Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.

  • Opinion

    Okla. Bill Represents Restorative Justice For Tribal Students

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    Oklahoma law will soon confer Native American students with the right to wear traditional regalia during graduation ceremonies, removing uncertainty for Native American students and providing long-overdue restorative justice in the relationship between tribes and schools, says Bree Black Horse at Kilpatrick.

  • Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention

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    The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Timeliness, Discovery, Registration Gap

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Michaela Thornton at MoFo examines recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office that consider the timeliness of a protest filing, discovery beyond the administrative record and a lapse in System for Award Management registration.

  • Sackett's US Waters Redefinition Is A Boon For Developers

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark ruling in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should reduce real estate project delays, development costs and potential legal exposures — but developers must remain mindful of how new federal and state regulations governing wetlands could affect their plans, say attorneys at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    Despite Its Plan Objections, UST Also Won In Purdue Ch. 11

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision approving Purdue Pharma’s reorganization plan is a win even for the dissenting Office of the U.S. Trustee because the decision sets extremely stringent guidelines for future use of nonconsensual third-party releases, say Edward Neiger and Jennifer Christian at Ask.

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