Native American

  • October 30, 2025

    Florida Tribe Sues PFAS Makers Over Health Risks, Cleanup

    A Florida tribe has brought a civil action in South Carolina federal court against several makers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, alleging their land is contaminated by products containing the so-called forever chemicals. 

  • October 30, 2025

    Despite Raid, Smoke Shop Must Give Tribe Sales Records

    Retailers sued by the Cayuga Nation over unpaid taxes from allegedly operating an unsanctioned smoke shop on tribal land must still fork over daily sales records even after New York State Police seized all cannabis product, a federal judge ruled Thursday, following yet another heated exchange in which the entrepreneurs blamed the tribe's leader for the raid.

  • October 30, 2025

    Tribes Act As Shutdown Threatens Food, Health Services

    With Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program funding set to expire on Friday, at least four Indigenous nations have declared states of emergency, saying the stalemate between U.S. politicians is impacting vital services and benefits that are threatening their welfare.

  • October 30, 2025

    Senate Overturns Petroleum Reserve Drilling Limits In Alaska

    The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved the revocation of a Biden-era move rolling back a plan by the first Trump administration to expand oil and gas drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

  • October 30, 2025

    California Returns 17,030 Acres To Tule River Tribe

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced the return of 17,030 acres of ancestral land to the Tule River Indian Tribe, calling it an effort to address "historical wrongs" committed against the tribe and other Native American tribes in the state.

  • October 30, 2025

    Legal Aid Of NC Shutters 2nd Office Amid $6M Funding Freeze

    Legal Aid of North Carolina has shut down a second office in one of the state's poorest counties in response to a freeze on more than $6 million in grant assistance the nonprofit gets from the North Carolina Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts, or NC IOLTA — its second-largest funding source.

  • October 30, 2025

    Tribal Business Owner Says Tariffs Violate 1855 Yakama Treaty

    A Yakama Indian tribe member is asking an Oregon federal court to block a series of tariffs issued by President Donald Trump, arguing that the orders violate a 19th century treaty that gives her the right to free trade.

  • October 29, 2025

    Greenpeace Gets Dakota Pipeline Damages Cut To $345M

    A North Dakota state judge Wednesday reduced a jury's $666 million damages award against Greenpeace to $345 million in litigation claiming the group falsely disparaged the Dakota Access Pipeline project during environmental protests, finding that some of the damages awarded by the jury weren't backed by evidence.

  • October 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs FERC's Approval Of Pacific NW Pipeline

    The Fifth Circuit has affirmed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a TC Energy Corp. natural gas pipeline, rejecting states' claims that FERC didn't fully consider costs to consumers and green groups' claims that an environmental review was inadequate.

  • October 29, 2025

    Shutdown Forces Tribes To Pick Food Or Heat, Senate Told

    Native American nonprofit leaders say Indian Country is choosing between fuel and food after federal employee layoffs and what stands to be the longest government shutdown in U.S. history have forced tribes to burn through their emergency reserves to continue healthcare, housing and food services.

  • October 29, 2025

    3 Pharmaceutical Firms Will Pay $4M To Tribes In Opioid MDL

    Indivior, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Zydus Pharmaceuticals have inked deals to compensate tribes for their role in the opioid crisis, according to stipulated dismissals entered on Wednesday in Ohio federal court.

  • October 29, 2025

    Fed. Judge Bars US From Enbridge Pipeline Oral Argument

    A Michigan federal judge has denied the U.S. government's bid to participate in an upcoming oral argument in an Enbridge lawsuit against the state's governor over an oil and gas pipeline, saying the parties in the suit are able to address the issues on their own.

  • October 29, 2025

    Green Group Says EPA Posts Misleading PFAS Information

    Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on Wednesday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is misleading the public about the risks of exposure to forever chemicals, and is demanding the EPA correct information on its website.

  • October 29, 2025

    Creek Board Fights Contempt Bid Over Citizenship Delay

    The Creek Nation Citizenship Board says it has not had time to comply with a tribal Supreme Court order that gave citizenship rights to two members of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen Band, arguing that their bid for contempt is unnecessary.

  • October 28, 2025

    New Frank's Landing Council Asks To Halt State Court Actions

    Newly appointed council members of a self-governing dependent Native American community, who sued a Washington court clerk to stop her from asserting jurisdiction in an underlying lawsuit about supervision of a school in Indian Country, asked a federal judge to order her to cease performing ministerial duties for now.

  • October 28, 2025

    Trump Admin Ordered To Halt Some Shutdown-Linked Layoffs

    A California federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction to eight unions for federal workers who lost their jobs during the government shutdown, saying they were likely to succeed on their claims that the Trump administration's actions were "political retribution" and unlawful.

  • October 28, 2025

    Green Groups Ask DC Circ. To Revive Climate Grant Class Suit

    Green groups and local governments are asking the D.C. Circuit to revive their now-dismissed proposed class action accusing the Trump administration of illegally terminating a $3 billion environmental justice block grant program.

  • October 28, 2025

    26 AGs Sue USDA Over Suspension Of Nutrition Benefits

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown is an abuse of discretion that threatens to take food away from millions of people, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by 25 states and the District of Columbia.

  • October 28, 2025

    4th Circ. Overturns Landmark W.Va. Opioid Verdict

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday overturned a key ruling by a West Virginia judge in the first federal bellwether in multidistrict opioid litigation that went in favor of the country's three biggest drug distributors, finding that the oversupply of opioids can create a public nuisance.

  • October 28, 2025

    Siletz Tribe Urges High Court To Reject Chinook Recognition

    The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to deny a fellow Oregon tribe's petition, saying that if the justices reverse a Ninth Circuit decision on federal recognition, it would have severe adverse consequences for its legal status and rights.

  • October 27, 2025

    Oregon Tribes, Feds Settle With Cos. In Pollution Dispute

    A federal judge has granted a motion by the U.S. government and Oregon as well as a number of tribes seeking approval of two settlement agreements that would resolve their Superfund lawsuit against a slew of companies that allegedly polluted the Willamette River.

  • October 27, 2025

    Feds Fight Union Bid To Protect Jobs During Gov't Shutdown

    The Trump administration is fighting a group of unions' request for a California federal judge to block the government from laying off federal workers during the shutdown, saying the injunction request from eight unions is far too broad.

  • October 27, 2025

    Native Activist Urges 10th Circ. To Deny Gov't Rehearing Bid

    A Muscogee (Creek) Nation member is asking the Tenth Circuit to deny a full-panel rehearing bid by the federal government that looks to undo the appellate court's decision to overturn his simple assault conviction, arguing that prosecutors cannot get past exceptions to the Major Crimes Act.

  • October 27, 2025

    Exxon Sues Calif. Over Climate Disclosure Laws

    Exxon Mobil Corp. is suing California over state laws the company says violate its First Amendment rights by forcing it "to serve as a mouthpiece" for ideas it disagrees with, including that large companies are uniquely responsible for climate change.

  • October 27, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Let US Marshals Aid Tribal Law Enforcement

    Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that will give the U.S. Marshals Service the authority to help tribal law enforcement agencies track down individuals with violent felony arrest warrants and search for missing children.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Key Lessons From Youths' Suit Against Trump Energy Orders

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    A Montana federal court's recent decision in Lighthiser v. Trump, dismissing a challenge by a group of young plaintiffs to President Donald Trump's executive orders promoting fossil fuels, indicates that future climate litigants must anchor their suits in discrete, final agency actions and statutory text, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

  • Protecting Sensitive Court Filings After Recent Cyber Breach

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    In the wake of a recent cyberattack on federal courts' Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, civil litigants should consider seeking enhanced protections for sensitive materials filed under seal to mitigate the risk of unauthorized exposure, say attorneys at Redgrave.

  • Series

    Judging Figure Skating Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Judging figure skating competitions helps me hone the focus, decisiveness and ability to process complex real-time information I need in court, but more importantly, it makes me reengage with a community and my identity outside of law, which, paradoxically, always brings me back to work feeling restored, says Megan Raymond at Groombridge Wu.

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