Native American

  • May 19, 2026

    $1.8B IRS Deal Fund 'Not Slush Fund,' Blanche Tells Senators

    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued before a Senate committee on Tuesday that the nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund announced on Monday as part of the president's settlement with the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax documents "is not a slush fund."

  • May 19, 2026

    Wis. Tribe Says State Misreads 1854 Treaty In Fishing Row

    The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians says Wisconsin is misinterpreting tribal regulatory authority in its bid to block the tribe from barring nonmember fishing in 19 lakes within its reservation, telling a federal district court that the state can't prove key elements of its claims.

  • May 18, 2026

    Calif. Kicks Off Rulemaking For Social Media Addiction Law

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking public comment on a new set of proposed regulations for complying with the age determination and parental consent aspects of a looming law that restricts social media platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children.

  • May 18, 2026

    8th Circ. Backs Mother-Son Convictions In Reservation Murder

    A split Eighth Circuit panel has upheld the sentences of a mother and son convicted of murdering a man on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, rejecting their claims that home surveillance camera footage of the two beating the victim should not have been admitted because of alleged tampering.

  • May 18, 2026

    Native, Enviro Groups Challenge Calif. Oil Pipeline Waiver

    California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection granted safety regulation waivers without proper review, allowing Sable Offshore Corp. to restart operations of a Santa Barbara oil pipeline system a decade after a catastrophic oil spill, environmental and Native American organizations said in a suit removed to federal court.

  • May 18, 2026

    Aetna Denied A Freeze On Trans Facial Surgery Order

    A Connecticut federal judge ordered Aetna to comply with a preliminary injunction requiring it to reconsider coverage denials affecting two transgender health plan participants who sought gender-affirming facial surgery, refusing to stay the insurer's compliance obligations during its pending appeal in the proposed class action.  

  • May 18, 2026

    Hawaiian Scholarship Suit Imperils $2.2M In Work, Court Told

    An Indigenous nonprofit is seeking to intervene as a defendant in a constitutional challenge to the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program, telling a federal district court that the litigation threatens $2.2 million of annual work that's central to its mission and will impede ongoing collaborations for the upcoming fiscal year.

  • May 18, 2026

    Iowa Aligns With Boosted Fed. Tax Gambling Reporting Level

    Iowa aligned with a higher threshold under federal tax law for determining when state income tax must be withheld on gambling winnings as part of a bill signed by the governor.

  • May 18, 2026

    High Court Remands ND Tribes' Voting Rights Act Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded an Eighth Circuit challenge by two North Dakota tribes that looks to overturn a ruling prohibiting lawsuits against states for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a decision civil rights groups say could disenfranchise voters in seven states.

  • May 15, 2026

    Meta Safety Monitor Would Create Roadblock, Judge Told

    Putting Meta under the supervision of a court-ordered monitor would only cause a slowdown in the development of new child safety features, a compliance executive testified Friday in the New Mexico attorney general's bench trial seeking changes to company practices.

  • May 15, 2026

    Lawmakers Decry USDA Plan To End Roadless Forest Rule

    Federal Democratic lawmakers are backing environmental and tribal advocacy groups' opposition to the Trump administration's plan to rescind the long-standing Roadless Area Conservation Rule, arguing the rollback will cause widespread harm to public lands, wildlife, frontline communities and regional economies.

  • May 15, 2026

    DOJ Says Grant Condition Stay Must Stop At 3 Programs

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Rhode Island federal judge that a stay blocking grant conditions tied to immigration status and diversity efforts should apply only to several programs and that a nonprofit coalition is improperly trying to expand its reach.

  • May 15, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revisit Wash. Professor Free Speech Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit won't revisit a decision saying the University of Washington violated a computer science professor's First Amendment rights after he voiced opposition to the school's policy that acknowledges Indigenous tribes as the traditional caretakers of the campus' land.

  • May 15, 2026

    Detroit Says Robinhood Sports Contracts Imperil Its Economy

    The city of Detroit has urged a Michigan federal court to deny Robinhood Derivatives LLC's bid to block the state from enforcing its state gaming laws, arguing the company's sports-related event contracts threaten Detroit's tax revenue and local economy.

  • May 14, 2026

    Meta Starts NM Defense As Midtrial Win Bid Fails

    A judge denied Meta a midtrial win Thursday morning over harm to underage social media users, prompting the social media giant to call an executive to begin building a defense case that platform changes requested by New Mexico's attorney general are unnecessary or even counterproductive.

  • May 14, 2026

    Creek Nation Wins Injunction Blocking City Prosecutions

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has won a bid in Oklahoma federal court for a preliminary injunction against a city that has challenged the tribe's sovereignty by arresting tribal citizens on reservation land.

  • May 14, 2026

    EPA Floats Relaxation Of Coal Plant Waste Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to relax Biden-era rules requiring coal-run power plants to treat toxic wastewater so it doesn't seep into waterways, saying the move would reduce the cost of electricity by more than $1 billion a year.

  • May 14, 2026

    N.D. Tribal Court Delay Sinks Suit Over Fatal BIA Shooting

    A North Dakota federal court judge has dismissed a challenge against the Bureau of Indian Affairs and one of its officers that alleges they're liable for the shooting death of a Turtle Mountain of Band of Chippewa Indians' member.

  • May 14, 2026

    High Court Must End Colo. Climate Suit, Oil Cos. Say

    Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil urged the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday to reverse a Colorado Supreme Court ruling allowing local communities to pursue state law tort claims for climate change damages, arguing their claims are "avowedly interstate and international in scope."

  • May 14, 2026

    Advocacy Groups, Dems Seek To Restore Digital Equity Fund

    A year after the Trump administration abruptly pulled funds set aside for digital equity grants, Democratic lawmakers are joining with public interest groups in trying to block a budget proposal that would permanently stamp out the program.

  • May 14, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Tribe Can Reclaim Boarding School Remains

    The U.S. Army must repatriate the remains of two Indigenous children from a former Indian boarding school cemetery in Pennsylvania, a split Fourth Circuit panel determined Thursday, saying the site qualifies as a holding or collection under a federal law designed to protect Native American burial sites.

  • May 13, 2026

    EPA Must Reconsider Flame Retardant Regs, 9th Circ. Says

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must revisit rulemaking on a flame retardant known as decaBDE, a Ninth Circuit panel said Wednesday, agreeing with a Native American tribe and environmental groups that the federal agency failed to adequately explain its past decisions declining to further regulate the chemical's disposal.

  • May 13, 2026

    4th Circ. Judge Flags Energy Shortage Harms In Pipeline Fight

    A Fourth Circuit judge on Wednesday appeared less than pleased with counsel for a collection of environmental groups during a hearing to consider halting construction on an interstate pipeline, calling attention to the "one sentence" devoted to the public harm of ongoing energy shortages.

  • May 13, 2026

    Native Activist Urges Justices To Uphold Assault Ruling

    An Indigenous activist is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to deny a federal government petition that looks to overturn a Tenth Circuit decision that said he can't be convicted of simple assault under the Major Crimes Act, telling the justices that the government's "bizarre" arguments flout the law's plain text.

  • May 13, 2026

    Creek High Court Ends Freedmen Citizenship Contempt Bid

    The (Muscogee) Creek Supreme Court won't hold the tribe's citizenship board or executive branch in contempt over an order that gives citizenship to those once enslaved by the Indigenous nation, saying the governmental entities have shown that they're taking steps to comply with the directive, albeit slowly.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • Justices' Charter School Tie Delays Church-State Reckoning

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent deadlock in Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board v. Drummond, blocking the creation of the nation’s first religious charter school, preserved the separation of church and state for now, but offered little reassurance about its continued viability, says Jeffrey Sultanik at Fox Rothschild.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • High Court Birthright Case Could Reshape Judicial Power

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    Recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases challenging President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order primarily focused on federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions and suggest that the upcoming decision may fundamentally change how federal courts operate, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • Justices Hand Agencies Broad Discretion In NEPA Review

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    By limiting the required scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County could weaken the review process under NEPA, while also raising questions regarding the degree of deference afforded to agencies, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Justices Widen Gap Between Federal, Calif. Enviro Reviews

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, narrowed the scope of National Environmental Policy Act reviews, it may have broadened the gulf between reviews conducted under NEPA and those under the California Environmental Quality Act, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • Seven County Ruling Should Trim Agency Enviro Analysis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County provides needed clarity for infrastructure projects by expressly directing agencies to narrow environmental reviews, and reducing the threat of litigation if even tangential issues are not exhaustively evaluated, say attorneys at Dentons.

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