Swinomish Indian Tribal Cmty., et al v. Lummi Nation

  1. September 11, 2023

    9th Circ. Reels In Wash. Tribes' Fishing Row

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday said a Washington federal judge correctly applied a 50-year-old fishing rights decree to rule that Puget Sound waters east of Whidbey Island and south of Fidalgo Island do not fall within the Lummi Nation's traditional fishing territory.

  2. February 13, 2023

    Wash. Tribes Still Angling For Fishing Rights, Despite '70s Win

    Nearly half a century after a landmark ruling that entitled Washington tribes to 50% of the annual catch in the state, Native leaders are still fighting just as hard to safeguard their fishing rights and have identified new opponents in the conflict: one another.

  3. November 09, 2022

    Tribes Push 9th Circ. To Revisit 1974 Fishing Rights Decision

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday waded into the language of a nearly 50-year-old landmark decision as it sought to settle two disputes between Washington tribes that are the latest in decadeslong litigation over tribal fishing rights in the state's waterways.

  4. July 18, 2022

    3 Wash. Tribes Ask 9th Circ. To Back Fishing Rights Win

    Three Washington state tribes told the Ninth Circuit on Friday that a Seattle federal judge correctly interpreted the boundaries of various tribes' traditional fishing grounds, a decision that's been challenged on the grounds that it could create ambiguities in similar cases.

  5. February 16, 2022

    Wash. Tribes Ask 9th Circ. To Ax Fishing Rights Opinion

    Two Washington tribes have asked the Ninth Circuit to review a district court's interpretation of fishing territory boundaries, saying the court "stumbled and diverged" from 50 years of case law establishing tribal fishing rights in the state.