Law Commons^™

Narrowing From Below: How Lower Courts Can Limit Castro-Huerta, Michaela B. Parks

Arkansas Law Review

This Note will offer a plan for how Indian country can move forward in the wake of what anti-tribal sovereignty entities want to be a devasting decision. This Note advocates for a judicial remedy plan. Specifically, it calls upon lower courts to narrow Castro-Huerta from below to limit the effects of the decision. Part II provides a brief introduction to federal Indian law, a general overview of criminal jurisdiction in Indian country, and concludes with a summary of Castro-Huerta. Part III outlines two approaches to limiting that lower courts can use to narrow Castro-Huerta from below: textual limiting and fact-to-fact …

Restoring Indian Reservation Status: An Empirical Analysis, Michael K. Velchik, Jeffery Zhang

Articles

In McGirt v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court held that the eastern half of Oklahoma was Indian country. This bombshell decision was contrary to settled expectations and government practices spanning 111 years. It also was representative of an increasing trend of federal courts recognizing Indian sovereignty over large and economically significant areas of the country, even where Indians have not asserted these claims in many years and where Indians form a small minority of the inhabitants.

Although McGirt and similar cases fundamentally turn on questions of statutory and treaty interpretation, they are often couched in consequence-based arguments about the good …

Bringing Congress And Indians Back Into Federal Indian Law: The Restatement Of The Law Of American Indians, Kirsten Matoy Carlson

Washington Law Review

Congress and Native Nations have renegotiated the federal-tribal relationship in the past fifty years. The courts, however, have failed to keep up with Congress and recognize this modern federal-tribal relationship. As a result, scholars, judges, and practitioners often characterize federal Indian law as incoherent and inconsistent. This Article argues that the Restatement of the Law of American Indians retells federal Indian law to close the gap between statutory and decisional law. It realigns federal Indian law with the modern federal-tribal relationship negotiated between Congress and tribal governments. Consistent with almost a half-century of congressional law and policy, the Restatement clarifies …

Preview—United States V. Cooley: What Will Happen To The Thinnest Blue Line?, Jo J. Phippin

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Supreme Court of the United States ("Supreme Court") will hear oral arguments in this matter on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. This case presents the narrow issue of whether a tribal police officer has the authority to investigate and detain a non-Indian on a public right-of-way within a reservation for a suspected violation of state or federal law. The lower courts, holding that tribes have no such authority, granted James Cooley’s motion to suppress evidence. The Supreme Court must decide whether the lower courts erred in so deciding. While the issue before the Supreme Court is itself narrow, it has …

An Unfair Cross Section: Federal Jurisdiction For Indian Country Crimes Dismantles Jury Community Conscience, Alana Paris

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, federal jury pools must reflect a fair cross section of the community in which a crime is prosecuted and from which no distinct group in the community is excluded. The community in which a crime is prosecuted varies widely in Indian country based on legislative reforms enacted by Congress to strip indigenous populations of their inherent sovereignty. Under the Major Crimes Act, the federal government has the right to adjudicate all serious crimes committed by one American Indian against another American Indian or non-Indian within Indian country. American Indian defendants under …

Indian Country Post Mcgirt: Implications For Traditional Energy Development And Beyond, Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Heather Tanana

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

The decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma is being heralded as the most important Indian law decision of the last 100 years, as it affirmed the reservation boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation – an area long considered by many to be under Oklahoma’s jurisdiction. Yet, following release of the Court’s decision, the outcry from the oil and gas industry was almost instantaneous, as roughly twenty five percent of Oklahoma’s oil and gas well and sixty percent of its oil refineries are impacted by the Court’s decision. Additionally, the territory affected by the Court’s decision also includes pipelines crucial to the …

Changing Consultation, Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Kathy Lynn, Kyle Whyte

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

As climate change and fossil fuel extractive industries ravage Indian country and burden many Indigenous communities with risks, the negative impacts on tribal sovereignty, health, and cultural resources demand consultation between tribes and the federal government. Yet, this is an area where the law fails to provide adequate guidance to parties who should be engaging or are already engaging in tribal consultations. The law, both domestic and international, may require that consultation occurs, but leaves parties to determine themselves what constitutes effective and efficient consultation. The legacy of the law’s inability to provide effective guidance has generated a litany of …

Green Means Go: Tribes Rush To Regulate Cannabis In Indian Country, Julie Kim, Jessica Roberts

American Indian Law Journal

During the Obama administration, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a series of memos stating that the federal government would not interfere with state laws legalizing cannabis. The United States Attorney General later expressly extended this policy to Indian Country. As a result, tribes began debating potential advantages and disadvantages of participating in the cannabis market. Then, in January 2018, the DOJ rescinded the memos and publicly recommitted itself to prosecuting the possession, cultivation, and distribution of marijuana. Consequently, tribes should approach “The Green Rush” as an exercise of their sovereignty; when a tribe decides to legalize or …

Taxation And Doing Business In Indian Country, Erik M. Jensen

Maine Law Review

Economic development on the lands of the American Indian nations has been spotty at best. Almost everyone knows the great success stories with Indian gaming, which has been furthered by federal legislation, but those economic benefits have not been felt uniformly. Some tribes have prospered because of this peculiarly favored form of enterprise; others have not and, in many cases, probably cannot. Substantial economic development in Indian country will not occur without significant infusions of outside capital, but investment by non-Indian and nongovernmental sources is risky, or is perceived to be so, which leads to the same practical result. This …

Returning To The Tribal Environmental "Laboratory": An Examination Of Environmental Enforcement Techniques In Indian Country, Elizabeth Ann Kronk Warner

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

Governments, including tribes, need to protect one of humankind’s most valuable resources: the environment. In addition to environmental regulations, effective enforcement mechanisms are key to successful efforts to protect the environment. While much has been written about the environmental enforcement mechanisms of states and the federal government, little scholarly attention has been paid to how tribal governments are working to protect their environments. Given that there are 567 federally recognized tribes and approximately 56.2 million acres held in trust for tribes in the United States, such oversight is significant. This Article fills a scholarly void with a description of environmental …

Let The Jury Fit The Crime: Increasing Native American Jury Pool Representation In Federal Judicial Districts With Indian Country Criminal Jurisdiction, Jordan Gross

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Starting From Scratch: Reasserting "Indian Country" In Alasky By Placing Alaska Native Land Into Trust, William H. Holley

Florida A & M University Law Review

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was enacted for the purpose of promoting economic development in remote Alaska Native villages. ANCSA has fallen short of this goal. ANCSA dissolved the trust relationship between Alaska Native tribes and the federal government by transferring former tribal lands to state-chartered, Native corporations. As a result, ANCSA severed Alaska Native tribal authority from tribal lands. Today, tribal governments in Alaska are without the resources necessary to address issues that threaten the survival of their communities. Tribal governments throughout the lower 48 states have long used federal land-into-trust provisions to expand and consolidate former …

Indians, Race, And Criminal Jurisdiction In Indian Country, Alexander Tallchief Skibine

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

With the possible exception of the Indian Major Crimes Act, the classification of “Indian” for the purposes of the ICCA and the Duro Fix is not “racial” even if it includes non-enrolled people of Indian ancestry with significant connections to tribal communities. Furthermore, although the first prong of the Rogers test should be eliminated on policy grounds, the holding of the Zepeda court that the first prong could be satisfied by proof of blood quantum from any Indian tribe, recognized or not, is highly suspicious, seems to be arbitrary, and boosts the argument that the classification of “Indian” in such …

Background Reading: Department Of The Interior, 2013 Departmental Overview, United States. Department Of The Interior, Ken Salazar

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

18 pages (DO-5 through DO-22).

"Background Reading"

The Future of Natural Resources Policy: This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Negotiating Jurisdiction: Retroceding State Authority Over Indian Country Granted By Public Law 280, Robert T. Anderson

Articles

This Article canvasses the jurisdictional rules applicable in American Indian tribal territories-"Indian country." The focus is on a federal law passed in the 1950s, which granted some states a measure of jurisdiction over Indian country without tribal consent. The law is an aberration. Since the adoption of the Constitution, federal law preempted state authority over Indians in their territory. The federal law permitting some state jurisdiction, Public Law 280, is a relic of a policy repudiated by every President and Congress since 1970. States have authority to surrender, or retrocede, the authority granted by Public Law 280, but Indian tribal …

Taxation And Doing Business In Indian Country, Erik M. Jensen

Faculty Publications

Furthering investment in Indian country (a term that includes, but is not limited to, reservations) is an important goal, but potential investors are hesitant - and with reason. One disincentive to invest is uncertainty about tax liability. Understanding taxation in Indian country requires knowledge not only of traditional tax law, but also of American Indian law principles dating from the early nineteenth century, and not many practitioners are up to that task. This article tries to make sense, as much as is possible, of the doctrines that have developed over the centuries.

The article first discusses some basics: the concept …

Slides: Dam Building And Removal On The Elwha: A Prototype Of Adaptive Mismanagement And A Tribal Opportunity, William H. Rodgers, Jr.

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: William H. Rodgers, Jr., Stimson Bullitt Professor of Environmental Law, University of Washington School of Law

77 slides

Indigenous Peoples And Environmental Justice: The Impact Of Climate Change, Rebecca Tsosie

The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock (March 16-17)

Presenter: Rebecca Tsosie, Professor of Law, Arizona State University

1 page.

Action On Global Warming: Making Room For Tribal Governments In The New Kind Of Wedge Issue, Dean B. Suagee

The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock (March 16-17)

Presenter: Dean B. Suagee, Of Counsel, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker LLP, Washington, D.C.

1 page.

Toward An Indigenous Jurisprudence Of Rape, Sarah Deer

Faculty Scholarship

This article sets forth some preliminary issues and perspectives for the development of indigenous models of rape jurisprudence. Part I examines the reasons for and importance of developing an indigenous jurisprudence of rape. Part II addresses tribal jurisdiction issues, particularly the current limitations on tribal authority. Part III provides a historical context for the issue, including examples of the role of colonization in the responses to sexual violence. Part IV shares some visions for the development of a contemporary jurisprudence of rape for indigenous nations.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back On The Rez: Is It Safe , Jared B. Cawley

Cleveland State Law Review

This article will trace the history of tribal criminal jurisdiction following the arrival of the colonists, through the foundation of the United States government, and will lead into where it stands today. On this journey, this article will discuss significant statutes and case law dealing with the role tribal courts have played in handling criminal jurisdiction in Indian country and will also discuss some important studies conducted by the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics and others on the current state of violent crime in Indian country, as well as the tribes' ability to handle it. Finally, this article …

The Civil Side Of Judge Parker, Morton Gitelman

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

American-Style Justice In No Man's Land, Peter Nicolas

Articles

This Article seeks to fill the gap in the existing literature by exploring the constitutional limits on federal court subject matter jurisdiction in the context of civil disputes arising in Indian Country and civil disputes arising elsewhere involving Indian tribes, tribal entities, and tribal members.

Part II of this Article catalogues the universe of "no forum" and "biased forum" jurisdictional quagmires with respect to civil disputes arising in Indian Country or those arising elsewhere involving Indian tribes, tribal entities, and tribal members, examining the existing legal obstacles that prevent federal, state, and tribal courts from exercising jurisdiction over the "no …

Ancsa: Sovereignty And A Just Settlement Of Land Claims Or An Act Of Deception, Marilyn J. Ward Ford, Robert Rude

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Narragansett Indian Tribe Of Rhode Island V. Narragansett Electric Company: When Dependent Indian Communities Fall Within Indian Country, Brent Eckersley

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Environmental Regulation Of Oil And Gas Development On Tribal Lands: Who Has The Authority?, Richard B. Collins, Tom Shipps, Marla Williams, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Environmental Regulation of Oil and Gas Development on Tribal Lands: Who Has the Authority? (November 1)

14 pages.

Collection of 3 papers presented at the Hot Topics in Natural Resources Law program held on Nov. 1, 1995.

Includes bibliographical references.

Contents:

Environmental regulation of oil and gas development on tribal lands : who has authority? / Richard Collins -- Environmental regulation of energy resource development on Indian reservation land / Tom Shipps -- Colorado Oil and Gas [Conservation] Commission jurisdiction over environmental matters on Indian lands / Marla Williams

Jurisdiction to regulate the environmental impacts of oil and gas development on the reservation has been contested by tribes, the state, private land owners and federal agencies. …

Power And Presumptions; Rules And Rhetoric; Institutions And Indian Law, Deborah A. Geier

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This 1994 article explores how unspoken, underlying presumptions shifted in Supreme Court jurisprudence regarding the analysis of tribal sovereignty.

Controlling Blue Skies In Indian Country: Who Is The Air Quality Posse--Tribes Or States? The Applicability Of The Clean Air Act In Indian Country And On Oklahoma Tribal Lands, Julie M. Reding

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Economic Development In Indian Country: What Are The Questions?, Frank Pommersheim

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federal Recent Developments

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.