ILPC Annual Conference: Call for Presentation and Panel Proposals
UM Ross 4th Annual Native American Heritage Month Symposium, Nov. 4, 2026
Cultural Heritage Partners’ resources on Section 106
Cultural Heritage Partners has created a website called 106Strong with several resources related to the multi-pronged threat to Section 106. The resources include:
- Overview of Section 106 changes in BAAJA, the ACHP’s effort to rewrite Section 106 regulations, and the actions of the Executive Branch to avoid or limit review for specific projects;
- Resources that explain the changes to NHPA included within the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) bill, including a one-pager, a webinar, a slide deck, the bill text, a redline of NHPA provisions amended by the BAAJA bill, and a model tribal resolution opposing the bill;
- BAAJA’s empty promises to Tribal Nations: Claim vs. Fact;
- and other resources
CHP’s 5-minute video below translates the technical aspects of Section 106 into a message for the general public. It connects Tribal consultation and historic preservation to the broader principle that communities should have a voice before irreplaceable places are harmed. Its storytelling is emotional, and it calls on people to contact Congress. The video provides a useful tool for building public understanding and support.
“Form, Function, and Federal Indian Law” Friday Panels and Keynote
California Federal Court Dismisses Picayune Rancheria Suit against NIGC re: North Fork Gaming
Here are the materials in Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians v. The Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission (E.D. Cal.):
Prior post here.
National NALSA Moot Court Competition Releases 2027 Problem
The competition still has space for 10+ more teams, so law students are encouraged to register. Registration is open until November 14, and briefs are due Jan. 6, 2027. This year’s competition is hosted by The University of Tulsa on February 26-27, 2027.
In addition to law students and NALSA chapters, the competition organizers invite involvement from practitioners and interested community partners. If you’re interested in volunteering as a judge, please email Prof. Alex Fay at alexandra-fay@utulsa.edu. If you’d like to table at the moot court to share professional opportunities, recruit law student interns, or sell artisan crafts, you can book one as a vendor on the competition website. Table are $100 per day, but tribal government offices and non-profit organizations can request a fee waiver.
Click here for the competition website to read the problem and access the rules and registration info.
Spread the word: Call for entries for WIPO Video Prize for Indigenous Youth 2026
The World Intellectual Property Organization invites Indigenous youth between the ages of 18-35 to submit a 1-3 minute video showcasing Indigenous Peoples’ Know How and Creativity in Action. Submissions are due by November 6, 2026, and awardees will receive digital equipment with a value ranging from $1000 – $4000 USD.
More details in the document below
Tohono O’Odham Nation Sues Border Wall Contractor for Trespass
Here is the complaint in Tohono O’Odham Nation v. SLS Federal Services LLC (D. Ariz.):
Job Postings 10/30/26
Legal Internship (Summer 2027)
Morongo Band of Mission Indians; Banning, CA
The Morongo Legal Department provides legal services and representation to the Tribe, including elected Tribal officials, Tribal administrative departments, Tribal committees, the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, and other Tribal enterprises. The Legal Department is regularly involved in a diverse set of legal issues including taxation, gaming, ICWA, employment, code development, energy, business development, health, education, litigation, and more. The Legal Department seeks one qualified Legal Intern to join the office for Summer 2027. The Legal Intern will work closely with the Morongo Legal Department in several clearly defined projects to be completed over the course of Summer 2027. The position is temporary and will last eight to ten weeks. The Department desires a commitment of 40 hours per week. It is the goal of the Morongo Legal Department to provide a tailored Intern program that responds to the interests and goals of the Legal Intern. The Intern program includes the opportunity to get to know the Morongo Tribal community, lands, and enterprises. By interning with the Morongo Legal Department, we are confident you will improve your lawyering skills, learn first-hand the demands of in-house legal counsel, and gain meaningful exposure to substantive Indian law projects.
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION:
- Experience drafting legal memoranda
- Excellent written/oral skills
- Excellent research and analytical abilities
- Native American law coursework (must be 2L or 3L in Fall 2026)
Provide:
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Legal Writing Sample
- Unofficial law school transcript
- Two references
Pay: $40.00 per hour Open Until Filled https://morongonation.org/employment/
Special District Court Judge
The Chickasaw Nation; Ada, Oklahoma
We are currently looking for a Full-Time Special District Court Judge to join our Chief Justice team located at the Tribal Court in Ada, Oklahoma.
Responsibilities:
* Conduct all court proceedings, as assigned on a case-by-case basis as assigned by the District Court Judge
* Issue all orders and paper incidents thereto, in order to administer justice in all matters withing the jurisdiction of the court
* Be responsible for creating and maintaining the rules of the court
* Hold court regularly at a designated time and place
* To administer oaths, conduct hearings, and otherwise undertake all duties and exercise all authority of a judicial officer under the law
* Maintain knowledge of current case law
* Good communication skills, both orally and in writing, with attorneys, litigants, judges, staff, and the public
* Ability to manage/schedule court docket and possess good supervisory skills
* Attends meetings and training as required
* Acts as master, mediator, and arbitrator
* Must demonstrate willingness and ability to follow Chickasaw Nation Judicial Branch policy and procedures
* Be Familiar with alternative sentencing and restorative justice
* Demonstrated moral integrity and fairness in his/her business
Must have a Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school
Must have a minimum of five years combined experience in law practices
Must be a member of the Chickasaw Bar Association
Must live within the Chickasaw Nation boundaries
Must be a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation
Open until 01/01/2027 https://gen-chickasawnation-prd.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=IC
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
COURT OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR: See job description here.
COURTROOM DEPUTY CLERK: See job description here.
Congress could override a court ruling for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and ratify Simplot’s waste-stack expansion
In 2020, BLM transferred about 713 acres of ceded lands of the former Fort Hall Reservation to Simplot. The Ninth Circuit held that the 1900 law ratifying the Tribes’ 1898 land agreement barred the transfer under FLPMA. If the exchange stands, treaty-protected rights to hunt, fish, graze, and cut timber would end on those parcels. The district court has not yet decided a remedy. The government and Simplot are asking the Supreme Court to review the ruling.
The exchange gives Simplot more land to expand its gypstack, the pile of toxic phosphogypsum waste from the phosphate fertilizer plant it’s operated next to the Fort Hall Reservation since the 1940s. According to the Tribes’ brief, the expansion would let the plant keep operating beside the Reservation for about another 65 years. Simplot’s Don Plant is part of the Eastern Michaud Flats Superfund site. The EPA says cleanup is ongoing, and groundwater from the Simplot portion still carries about 200 pounds of phosphorus a day into the Portneuf River. The Don Plant and its gypstack has contaminated the Tribes’ air, land, and water for over 80 years.
Now § 1091(b) of the Senate FY2027 defense bill would provide that, “notwithstanding any other provision of law,” the Secretary’s approval and issuance of the patent for these lands under FLPMA “are reaffirmed and ratified.” Donna Thompson, Chairwoman of the Fort Hall Business Council of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, states that Idaho’s Senator Jim Risch made a deal with Senator Mike Lee to add the provision into the defense bill with no hearing, no vote, and no consultation. The Senate hasn’t passed the bill. The Tribes’ brief in opposition to cert argues that review is premature, in part because Congress could moot the case. The Tribes are asking the public to urge Idaho’s delegation to remove § 1091(b).
Resources
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes v. U.S. Dep’t of the Interior, No. 23-35543 (9th Cir. Aug. 22, 2025)
- Order denying rehearing en banc (9th Cir. Apr. 21, 2026)
- Petition for certiorari, Dep’t of the Interior v. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, No. 26-96
- Petition for certiorari, J.R. Simplot Co. v. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, No. 26-109
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ brief in opposition, Nos. 26-96, 26-109 (Oct. 21, 2026)
- S. 4784, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (reported in Senate), § 1091(b)
- BLM, Blackrock Land Exchange FEIS Vol. 1 (May 2020)
- BLM, Blackrock Land Exchange Final Environmental Impact Statement Vol. 2 (May 2020)
- EPA, Eastern Michaud Flats Superfund Site: Cleanup Activities
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Protect Public Land from Simplot’s Toxic Waste Dump Expansion (Oct. 15)
- NARF Tribal Supreme Court Project: case docket
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