Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law Commons^™

The Evolution Of The Applicability Of Erisa To Indian Tribes: We May Finally Have Congressional Intent, But It's Still Flawed, Alicia K. Crawford

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Another Blow To Tribal Sovereignty: A Look At Cross-Jurisdictional Law-Enforcement Agreements Between Indian Tribes And Local Communities, Andrew G. Hill

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals' Enforcement Of The Fair Labor Standards Act In Solis V. Matheson: A Discussion Of Laws Of General Applicability And Their Impact On Tribal Sovereignty And Independence, Doug Nix

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Conflict Between State Tests Of Tribal Entity Immunity And The Congressional Policy Of Indian Self-Determination, Aaron F.W. Meek

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Crow Dog Vs. Spotted Tail: Case Closed, Timothy Connors, Vivek Sankaran

Articles

In 1868, Chief Spotted Tail signed a United States government treaty with an X. Spotted Tail was a member of the Brule Sioux Tribe, related by marriage to Crazy Horse. The government treaty recognized the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux reservation. As such, exclusive use of the Black Hills by the Sioux people was guaranteed. Monroe, Michigan, native Gen. George Custer changed all that. In 1874, he led an expedition into that protected land, announced the discovery of gold, and the rush of prospectors followed. Within two years, Custer attacked at Little Big Horn and met his …

Connecting The Dots Between The Constitution, The Marshall Trilogy, And United States V. Lara: Notes Toward A Blueprint For The Next Legislative Restoration Of Tribal Sovereignty, Ann E. Tweedy

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This law review Article examines: (1) the underpinnings of tribal sovereignty within the American system; (2) the need for restoration based on the Court's drastic incursions on tribal sovereignty over the past four decades and the grave circumstances, particularly tribal governments' inability to protect tribal interests on the reservation and unchecked violence in Indian Country, that result from the divestment of tribal sovereignty; (3) the concept of restoration as illuminated by United States v. Lara, and finally (4) some possible approaches to partial restoration.

The Article first evaluates the constitutional provisions relating to Indians and the earliest federal Indian law …

Formalism And Judicial Supremacy In Federal Indian Law, Alex Tallchief Skibine

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indian Nations And The Federal Government: What Will Justice Require In The Future? Claims Against The Sovereign 20th Jusicial Conference Of The United States Court Of Federal Claims, Charles Wilkinson

Publications

No abstract provided.

Antiquities Act Monuments: The Elgin Marbles Of Our Public Lands?, James R. Rasband

Celebrating the Centennial of the Antiquities Act (October 9)

13 pages.

Includes bibliographical references

A Tale Of Conflicting Sovereignties: The Case Against Tribal Sovereign Immunity And Federal Preemption Doctrines Preventing States' Enforcement Of Campaign Contribution Regulations On Indian Tribes, Paul Porter

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note will discuss whether Indian tribes can assert tribal sovereign immunity to avoid compliance with state campaign finance regulation and whether such regulations should be preempted by federal law. Tribal sovereign immunity is not an enshrined constitutional imperative; it exists only under federal common law and can be limited by the courts from blocking state suits to enforce campaign finance regulations against tribes. This Note will also argue that state campaign finance regulations should not be preempted by federal law because states have a compelling interest in protecting their political processes from corruption that outweighs tribal interests in flouting …

Two Spirits, Two Eras, Same Sex: For A Traditionalist Perspective On Native American Tribal Same-Sex Marriage Policy, Jeffrey S. Jacobi

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Recently, several states amended their constitutions to define marriage as only a union between a man and a woman. Many Native American Indian tribal governments thereafter also adopted laws prohibiting homosexual marriages. However, this new policy conflicts with traditional tribal values. This Note shows that historically many tribes accepted and even honored same-sex unions. This Note proposes that tribes consider their traditions as they existed before European contact, and argues that, for some tribes, same-sex civil unions are a historically and culturally appropriate answer to the modern objections to same-sex marriage.

Testimony On The Regulation Of Indian Gaming, Oversight Hearing On The [Nigc] Minimum Internal Control Standards, Before The United States House Of Representatives, Committee On Resources, 109th Congress, 2nd Session, Kevin Washburn

Faculty Scholarship

State governments have an inherent conflict of interest in the regulation of Indian gaming. Strict regulation of Indian gaming can be good for the long term health of the industry, but may impact short term revenues. States have a strong short term interest in maximizing gaming revenue. Tribal governments should bear the primary responsibility for regulating Indian gaming. However, tribal regulators also have a weakness, namely, a myopia to the interests of other tribes and the national interests of the Indian gaming industry. Federal regulators can best protect the integrity of the industry nationally and ought to have a strong …

Testimony On The Regulation Of Indian Gaming, Oversight Hearing On Indian Gaming, Before The United States Senate, Committee On Indian Affairs, 109th Congress, 1st Session, Kevin Washburn

Faculty Scholarship

Federal and tribal regulation is likely to be more successful than state regulation of Indian gaming because tribal governments and the federal government have a greater interest in the long term success of Indian gaming. Uniform federal minimum internal control standards can protect the integrity of the Indian gaming industry nationwide. While federal regulators should exercise a powerful role, they must be respectful of tribal governments.

Testimony On The Regulation Of Indian Gaming, United States Senate, Committee On Indian Affairs, 109th Congress, 1st Session, Kevin Washburn

Faculty Scholarship

Congress must shore up NIGC regulatory authority over Class III gaming, guard against regulatory capture in tribal regulatory commissions, and reconsider the legitimacy of federal oversight of tribal economic decision-making. Congress should give the NIGC greater authority over licensure of those involved in Indian gaming and circumscribe the federal role over tribal economic decisions.

Tribal Employment Separation: Tribal Law Enigma, Tribal Governance Paradox, And Tribal Court Conundrum, Matthew L.M. Fletcher

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Each year, more and more people--Indians and non-Indians--are employed by Indian Tribes and Tribally-chartered organizations. However, as Tribal employment grows, so do the problems associated with personnel disputes. Tribal employment is different than traditional corporate or even government employment because Tribal communities are incredibly close-knit and Tribal governments are very accountable to their constituents. Because of this dynamic, employment separations can create excessive difficulty within a Tribe. Many Tribal courts apply the principles of the Supreme Court's decision in Loudermill, granting terminated employees the right to both an administrative and judicial hearing. However, these processes can often be incredibly painful …

The State, Cherokee Nation, And Same-Sex Unions: In Re: Marriage License Of Mckinley & Reynolds, Christopher L. Kannady

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Whole New Game: Recognizing The Changing Complexion Of Indian Gaming By Removing The "Governor's Veto" For Gaming On "After-Acquired Lands", Brian P. Mcclatchey

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The recent explosive growth of the Indian gaming industry and judicial decisions analyzing a portion of the governing statute point to an inherent flaw in the mechanism provided by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) for the establishment of off-reservation gaming enterprises. This Note argues for a reform of the so-called "after-acquired lands" provision of IGRA, which would remove the governor's concurrence requirement and place the decision to allow Indian gaming off-reservation into the negotiating process between states and tribes, as another term to be negotiated between sovereigns. Such a reform would allow states and tribes alike to extract their …

Tribal Jurisdiction And Domestic Violence: The Need For Non-Indian Accountability On The Reservation, Amy Radon

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Domestic violence is a severe problem for tribes across the nation, as their female members are victimized at highly disproportionate rates compared to members of dominant society. Many tribes have sophisticated domestic violence codes to combat the problem, but they are powerless to prosecute the majority of those who will abuse Indian women: non-Indian men. In 1978 the Supreme Court stripped tribes of their power to prosecute non-Indians in criminal matters, which not only damaged tribal sovereignty but also meant the difference between a life free from abuse and one with constant fear, intimidation, and pain for Indian women.

The …

Applying Twenty-Five Years Of Experience: The Iowa Indian Child Welfare Act, Kirk Albertson

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federal Acknowledgement Of Indian Tribes: Current Bia Interpretations Of The Federal Criteria For Acknowledgement With Respect To Several Northwest Tribes, Rosemary Sweeney

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Historical Development Of American Indian Tribes; Their Recent Dramatic Commercial Advancement; And A Discussion Of The Eligibility Of Indian Tribes Under The Bankruptcy Code And Related Matters, R. Spencer Clift Iii

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Powers Inherent In Sovereignty: Indians, Aliens, Territories, And The Nineteenth Century Origins Of Plenary Power Over Foreign Affairs, Sarah H. Cleveland

Faculty Scholarship

Does the United States have powers inherent in sovereignty? At least since the 1819 decision in McCulloch v. Maryland, conventional wisdom has held that national government is one of limited, enumerated powers and exercises “only the powers granted to it” by the Constitution and those implied powers “necessary and proper” to the exercise of the delegated powers. All powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states and to the people. In the 1936 decision in United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp., however, the Supreme Court asserted that federal authority over foreign relations operated independently …

Growth And Form: Indian Tribes, Terrorism, And The Durability Of Environmental Law, William H. Rodgers, Jr.

Articles

My target audience is the body of extraordinary law students here at the Vermont Law School who will define the shape and direction of tomorrow's environmental law. My plan is to derive five virtues of significant achievement—genius, high-leveraging, symbolism, optimism, and courage—and to convince you that the Indian tribes of the United States are fortuitously blessed with these capacities for positive change.

I am obliged to defend my five virtues against the charge that they are "gray" virtues, mere tactics of opportunity open to use by the forces of hatred and destruction as freely as those of nurturing and protection. …

Indian Child Welfare Act: Keeping Families Together And Minimizing Litigation, Sarah Krakoff

Publications

No abstract provided.

Who Is An Indian? Searching For An Answer To The Question At The Core Of Federal Indian Law, Margo S. Brownell

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The definition of Indian is the measure of eligibility for a variety of benefits and programs provided to Indians under federal law. There is confusion, however, at the core of efforts to define "Indian." This confusion raises many concerns about the role that government plays in defining "Indian." This Note surveys the most common definitions of "Indian" found in federal statutes, BIA regulations, and state laws. The author argues that the racial basis of many of these laws and regulations are unconstitutional and tread on the sovereignty of Indian tribes. She evaluates efforts of the federal government to avoid these …

Tribes As Rich Nations, Raymond Cross

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article critiques the contemporary doctrine of Indian tribal self-determination thirty years after its inception in President Richard M. Nixon's famed 1970 Indian Message to Congress.

The first part focuses on the three most prominent strategies for tribal self-determination: 1) tribal strategy that seeks to "morph" their inherent and reserved sovereign powers into tribal regulatory powers that are effective throughout Indian Country; 2) tribal strategy that seeks to develop and assert economic sovereignty over their lands, resources, and commercial relationships as a means of revitalizing Indian Country; and 3) tribal strategy that seeks to reassert traditional cultural and religious beliefs …

Protecting Native Americans: The Tribe As Parens Patriae, Cami Fraser

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Note argues that Tribes have parens patriae standing to protect their citizens through litigation on their behalf, even if not all of their citizens are engaged in the litigation. Part I examines the current requirements of parens patriae standing, as articulated by the Supreme Court. Part II briefly examines the nature of tribal sovereignty within American jurisprudence and concludes that parens patriae standing is a retained right of the Tribes. Part III examines the way in which the Federal District Courts have incorrectly handled tribal parens patriae standing. This section argues for a reexamination of Supreme Court doctrine when …

Idaho's Snake River Basin Adjudication: A Window On Western Water Law, Jeffrey C. Fereday

Strategies in Western Water Law and Policy: Courts, Coercion and Collaboration (Summer Conference, June 8-11)

34 pages.

Contains footnotes.

Federal Consultation With Indian Tribes: The Foundation Of Enlightened Policy Decisions, Or Another Badge Of Shame?, Derek C. Haskew

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Proposal To The Hanodaganyas To Decolonize Federal Indian Control Law, Robert B. Porter

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

In this Article, cast in the form of a letter to President William Jefferson Clinton, Professor Porter argues for the decolonization of federal Indian control law. After detailing the religious and colonialist roots of early Supreme Court decisions dealing with the Indian nations and giving an overview of the evolution of federal Indian policy, Professor Porter argues for the decolonization of federal Indian control law on several grounds: 1. the world community has rejected colonialism policies; 2. federal Indian control law denies basic human rights of self-determination; 3. colonization has partially succeeded in destroying the Indian nations; and 4. decolonization …