September 03, 2024
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is fighting a bid to force her to complete a final new rule for federal recognition or be held in contempt, saying that compelling the agency to conclude a policy decision in a matter of weeks is unreasonable and could have a harmful ripple effect.
August 05, 2024
A Michigan tribe wants a D.C. federal district court to enforce a Nov. 1 deadline on the U.S. Department of the Interior to complete the process for a new rule that would address eligibility to reapply for federal recognition or otherwise hold Secretary Deb Haaland in contempt.
November 01, 2023
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says the agency's proposed rule addressing the eligibility of tribes to reapply for federal recognition is under review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs as a "significant regulatory action," however it will be at least another three months before the decision will be made public.
August 22, 2023
A D.C. federal judge has given the Department of the Interior until Oct. 31 to submit for review either a newly proposed or final rule that will determine if Native American tribes that were once denied federal recognition can reapply for the status.
August 17, 2023
A Michigan tribe is asking a D.C. federal judge to reconsider a recent stay that allowed the U.S. Department of the Interior more time to submit a new rule for federal recognition, saying that the decision places them in a "no win situation" by essentially forcing them to start over in a decadeslong process.
August 11, 2023
A D.C. federal judge agreed to pause enforcement of an order forcing the U.S. Department of the Interior to produce a new rule for federal recognition of Native American tribes by Aug. 31 after the department warned that rushing rulemaking could yield the opposite result of what the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians wants.
August 10, 2023
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is asking a D.C. federal judge to reconsider an order setting an Aug. 31 deadline to produce the agency's new rule on re-petitioning for tribal federal recognition, saying it's unclear if the court had jurisdiction to impose the timeline.
July 21, 2023
A D.C. Circuit judge has ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior to produce by Aug. 31 its new rule for federal recognition of tribes after the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians accused the DOI of dragging its feet.
June 06, 2023
A Native American tribe in Michigan is asking a federal court for an order requiring the U.S. Department of the Interior to submit regular status reports on its progress in making a final determination on whether to recognize the tribe, saying members of its band are dying and membership dwindles as they wait for an answer.
March 26, 2020
A D.C. federal judge has granted a win to a Michigan band of Native Americans that has sought federal recognition for more than 80 years, saying the Bureau of Indian Affairs' 2015 ban on re-petitioning is unjustified.