Present or not, insurers doing business with tribal government and businesses cannot escape the jurisdiction of tribal courts, at least within the Ninth Circuit....more
South Point Energy Center, LLC, with the support of the Fort Mohave Indian Tribe, seeks Supreme Court confirmation that SALT exemption applies to the permanent improvements on Indian land, regardless of ownership status. The...more
The United States Supreme Court will consider whether to review the legality of the Washington tribal gaming compacts as a result of a petition for writ of certiorari (cert) filed in the lawsuit, Maverick Gaming LLC v. United...more
The U.S. Supreme Court did not issue any merits opinions today, but there were two dissents from denials of cert. that merit attention, both concerning the First Amendment....more
The case of Lexington Insurance Company v. Suquamish Tribe has emerged as a pivotal legal battle concerning the extent of tribal jurisdiction over nonmembers. This case, which has reached the Supreme Court, challenges the...more
A Nebraska tribe’s tobacco businesses are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in HCI Distribution Inc., et al. v. Michael T. Hilgers, et al. This decision concluded that the...more
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month....more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided SEC v. Jarkesy. That decision held that individuals subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) enforcement actions in which the SEC seeks civil penalties for...more
In its recent decision, Becerra v. San Carlos Apache, No. 23-250, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), 25 U.S.C. § 5301 et seq., requires the Indian Health Service...more
For forty years, the Chevron doctrine, established in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), has been a cornerstone of administrative law in the United States. Under the...more
On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decisions in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce—overruling the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine. The opinion is likely to set...more
On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the consolidated cases of Becerra v. San Carlos Apache Tribe (No. 23-250) and Becerra v. Northern Arapaho Tribe (No. 23-253)....more
By Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier and Kelsey Haake In a momentous decision on June 6, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a resounding victory for Native American tribes. The Court ruled that the Indian Health Service (IHS)...more
On June 6, 2024, the US Supreme Court decided Becerra v. San Carlos Apache Tribe and Becerra v. Northern Arapaho Tribe (Nos. 23-250 and 23-253), holding that the Indian Health Service (IHS) must reimburse Native nations,...more
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 6, 2024, that the Indian Health Service (IHS) must pay contract support costs with respect to program income – payments from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers – received by tribes...more
When EPA published its most recent rule specifying the role of States and Tribes in the Federal permitting of discharges into Waters of the United States, I predicted it was only a matter of time before we'd see another...more
On Oct. 25, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to extend the stay ordered in West Flagler Associates, Ltd. v. Haaland. It is unclear if any justice supported the request to extend the stay. This means that West...more
On Oct. 12, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a stay on the District of Columbia Circuit’s ruling in West Flagler Associates, Ltd. v. Haaland. This stay will prevent, for now, the Seminole Tribe of Florida from accepting...more
On June 22, 2023, the United States Supreme Court handed down its third decision regarding federal Indian law this term. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held that the Navajo Treaty of 1868 does not require the United States to...more
This is a story that connects some dots we might well imagine have no connection: a 19th century murder, a 21st century adoption, Native tribal sovereignty, Supreme Court Justices past and present, and a law firm where we...more
On June 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, No. 21-1484, limiting the federal government’s obligation to affirmatively secure water for federally recognized Indian tribes. The...more
On June 15, 2023, the United States Supreme Court held that “the Bankruptcy Code unambiguously abrogates the sovereign immunity of all governments, including federally recognized Indian tribes.”1 In other words, Native...more
On June 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Arizona v. Navajo Nation, No. 21-1484, holding that the federal government is not obligated to affirmatively secure access to water for the Navajo Nation....more
With four decisions yesterday, the Court has now cut its backlog down to the mid-teens. And with decisions likely today as well, the Court is well on its way to clearing the docket as the term ends....more
Section 106(a) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code expressly abrogates the sovereign immunity of "governmental units" for purposes of certain bankruptcy-related litigation. A split of authority concerning whether that abrogation...more