Native Law Group Partner Elected President of Navajo Nation Bar Association and Appointed Chair of Colorado State Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Patterson Earnhart Real Bird & Wilson LLP is pleased to announce the Navajo Nation Bar Association (NNBA) elected partner Alvina Earnhart as President for a two-year term. Also, on May 13, 2022, she was appointed Chairperson of the Colorado State Advisory...
Supreme Court Decision Upends Decades of Federal Indian Law
On June 29, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its controversial decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, holding against decades of precedent that states possess concurrent authority with the federal government to prosecute non-Indians for crimes committed against...
First Native American Appointed U.S. Treasurer
On June 21, 2022, President Biden announced that he intends to appoint Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn "Lynn" Malerba, Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, as the first-ever Native American to serve as Treasurer of the United States. As Treasurer, Chief Malerba will...
New Community Reinvestment Act Regulations Comments Due
On June 3, 2022, the Federal Reserve System's Board of Governors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a joint notice, proposing to amend their regulations implementing the Community...
Grijalva Hosts Environmental Justice Bill Tribal Roundtable
On Monday, July 18, 2022, U.S. House of Representatives, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva held a roundtable with tribal leaders regarding his proposed bill, H.R.2021 - Environmental Justice for All Act. Read the act here. The bill calls for...
U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Tribal Sovereignty in Criminal Case
On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Denezpi v. United States affirming the conviction of a criminal defendant in a federal court even though he had already been prosecuted and sentenced under tribal law in a Court of Indian Offenses. The...
Interior Seeks Comments on Process for Recognizing Indian Tribes
In early June, the U.S. Department of the Interior held two tribal consultation sessions on its process for federal recognition of Indian tribes at 25 C.F.R. Part 83 (“Part 83”). Interior seeks comments from tribal leaders on whether it should consider changing the...
Senate Committee Seeks Comments on Cannabis in Indian Country
On June 17, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) held a listening session on Cannabis in Indian Country to discuss tribal cannabis commerce and related equities. SCIA seeks comments from tribal leaders, designees, and experts about industry concerns and...
White House Releases Infrastructure Law Tribal Playbook
In May 2022, the Biden administration released the "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Playbook: A Roadmap for Delivering Opportunity and Investment in Indian Country" to help tribal communities access funds to address infrastructure deficiencies. The $1 trillion...
Army Corps Seeks Tribal Input on Civil Works Program
The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is holding a series of virtual meetings in an effort to modernize its Civil Works programs through various policy initiatives. According to the Corps, a primary focus of the modernization effort is to serve the needs of Tribal...