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Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law

Tribal sovereignty

Faculty Scholarship

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Of Reservation Boundary Lines And Judicial Battle Lines, Part 1 - Reservation Diminishment/Disestablishment Cases From 1962 To 1975: The Indian Law Justice Files, Episode 1, John P. Lavelle Jan 2022

Of Reservation Boundary Lines And Judicial Battle Lines, Part 1 - Reservation Diminishment/Disestablishment Cases From 1962 To 1975: The Indian Law Justice Files, Episode 1, John P. Lavelle

Faculty Scholarship

This Article is the first of a two-part investigation into the Indian law doctrine of reservation diminishment/disestablishment, examining Supreme Court decisions in this area in light of insights gathered from the collected papers of individual Justices archived at the Library of Congress and various university libraries. The Article first addresses Seymour v. Superintendent (1962) and Mattz v. Arnett (1973), observing that these first two diminishment/disestablishment cases are modern applications of basic, longstanding principles of Indian law which are highly protective of Indigenous people’s rights and tribal sovereignty. The Article then examines in detail DeCoteau v. District County Court, the anomalous …


Plenary Power, Political Questions, And Sovereignty In Indian Affairs, Michalyn Steele Jan 2016

Plenary Power, Political Questions, And Sovereignty In Indian Affairs, Michalyn Steele

Faculty Scholarship

A generation of Indian law scholars has roundly, and rightly, criticized the Supreme Court’s invocation of the political question doctrine to deprive tribes of meaningful judicial review when Congress has acted to the detriment of tribes. Similarly, many Indian law scholars view the plenary power doctrine — that Congress has expansive, virtually unlimited authority to regulate tribes — as a tool that fosters and formalizes the legal oppression of Indian people by an unchecked Federal government. The way courts have applied these doctrines in tandem has frequently left tribes without meaningful judicial recourse against breaches of the federal trust responsibility …


Comparative Institutional Competency And Sovereignty In Indian Affairs, Michalyn Steele Jan 2014

Comparative Institutional Competency And Sovereignty In Indian Affairs, Michalyn Steele

Faculty Scholarship

While vigorous debate surrounds the proper scope and ambit of inherent tribal authority, there remains a critical antecedent question: whether Congress or the courts are ultimately best situated to define the contours of inherent tribal authority. In February 2013, Congress enacted controversial tribal jurisdiction provisions as part of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization recognizing and affirming inherent tribal authority to prosecute all persons, including non-Indian offenders, for crimes of domestic violence in Indian country. This assertion by Congress of its authority to set the bounds of tribal inherent authority -- beyond where the United States Supreme Court has held …


Cultural And Economic Self-Determination For Tribal Peoples In The United States Supported By The Un Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, Angelique Eaglewoman Jan 2010

Cultural And Economic Self-Determination For Tribal Peoples In The United States Supported By The Un Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, Angelique Eaglewoman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


From Conflict To Cooperation: State And Tribal Court Relations In The Era Of Self-Determination, Aliza Organick, Tonya Kowalski Jan 2009

From Conflict To Cooperation: State And Tribal Court Relations In The Era Of Self-Determination, Aliza Organick, Tonya Kowalski

Faculty Scholarship

State and Tribal sovereigns have historically had a tense relationship, beginning in colonial times, when states vied with the federal government for trading rights and for control of Indian lands. Today, that tension still expresses itself in matters such as gaming compacts, criminal and civil jurisdiction, and taxation, to name just a few. While different sovereigns within a federal system may always vie for resources and power to some extent, it is time for states and Tribes to focus on what a more mutually supportive relationship with Tribal communities has to offer. This Essay explores the history of the two …