cultural resources

California Superior Court Bars City of Corona from Disturbing Pechanga/Rincon/Soboba Ancestral Remains

ilpc

Here is the order in Pechanga Band of Indians v. City of Corona (Cal. Super. Ct.):

Superior Court OrderDownload

Massachusetts Federal Court Orders Restoration of National Park Service Materials Censored by Interior Department

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the order is National Parks Conservation Association v. Dept. of the Interior (D. Mass.):

DCT Order.pdfDownload

Excerpts:

Yurok Sues City of Trinidad over Ancestral Remains

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the complaint in Yurok Tribe v. City of Trinidad (Cal. Super. Ct.):

Complaint Yurok Tribe v City of Trinidad et al.pdfDownload
Unrelated.

Seattle Law School: “Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation” on June 5, 2026

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here.

Join Seattle University School of Law for the 9th Annual Innovation and Technology Law Conference, a virtual gathering exploring Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation.

 

  • Friday, June 5, 2026
  • 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Virtual event
  • Register to receive the Zoom link the day before the event

 

Presented by the Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Institute and the SITIE Initiative, and co-sponsored by the Northwest Center for Indigenous Law, Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law (SJTEIL), and the American Indian Law Journal, this year’s conference brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and Indigenous leaders.

 

Through a full day of panels and discussion, you’ll gain insight into:

 

  • The legal and ethical implications of cultural appropriation in AI
  • Indigenous data sovereignty and emerging frameworks
  • AI regulation through the lens of tribal sovereignty
  • Innovative models led by Indigenous technologists and communities

 

View the full agenda and speaker lineup on the SITIE Conference event page.
Register now to be part of this timely and critical conversation.

Agenda

Continue reading →

D.C. Circuit Rejects Narragansett’s Challenge to Federal Highway Admin. Decisions

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the opinion in Narragansett Indian Tribe v. McMaster.

Briefs here.

Grand River Band Chairman Ron Yob Speaking at the Michigan Tribal-State-Federal Judicial Forum

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Lummi Tribe Sues Telephone Company over Destruction of Ancestral Burial Plots

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are the materials so far in Lummi Tribe v. Whidbey Telephone Co. (W.D. Wash.):

1_Complaint.pdfDownload
12_Motion for PI.pdfDownload
12-2_LenaTsoDecl.pdfDownload
12-3_RobertWhitlamDecl.pdfDownload

From the tribe:

The Lummi Nation filed a federal lawsuit against Whidbey Telecom, Whatcom County, and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce alleging a multi-year pattern of federally funded broadband construction that repeatedly trenched through known ancestral burial grounds at Point Roberts, disturbing and destroying human remains while flouting mandatory tribal consultation and stop-work obligations under federal law. Ten days later, the Nation filed an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction supported by sworn declarations revealing that defendants assessed less than one percent of the construction area, that hundreds of ancestors’ remains may have been harmed by heavy equipment, and that the county admitted in writing to improperly issuing permits — seeking a court order to halt construction and compel full site access for recovery and reburial.

Amended Complaint in Apache Stronghold v. United States

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here:

184 Amended Complaint.pdfDownload
We all need friends.

Indian Peaks Band Files to Protect Tribal Water Rights

Matthew Campbell

On April 1, 2026, the Indian Peaks Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah filed a Notice of Appeal and Petition for Stay with the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA), challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s March 2, 2026, approval of the Pine Valley Water Supply Project.

The filing seeks review of BLM’s decision authorizing a large‑scale groundwater extraction and pipeline project in southern Utah and asks the IBLA to stay the project approvals while the appeal is pending. The Band argues that the decision violates federal law, including the National Environmental Policy Act, and unlawfully threatens the Band’s federally reserved water rights and culturally significant resources.

You can see more here.

Trevor Reed on NAGPRA

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Trevor Reed has posted “The Intangible NAGPRA,” forthcoming in the Maryland Law Review, on SSRN.

Here is the abstract:

Following a 2023 regulatory update, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (“NAGPRA”) of 1990, which recognizes Tribal Nations’ ownership interests in their ancestors and artifacts, now expressly includes a controversial public display right that has shuttered museum displays across the country. Though functionally similar to widely criticized provisions of Italian cultural heritage law, I argue that the new regulations are justifiable given the unique status of Tribal Nations in U.S. constitutional law and Congress’s intent to negotiate a remedy for long-standing human rights abuses.  Indeed, the Intangible NAGPRA is precisely what Tribal representatives on the Congressionally mandated year-long Panel for a National Dialogue on Museum/Native American Relations believed they were working toward in the lead-up to NAGPRA’s passage.  Thus, this paper encourages the continued exercise of Indigenous peoples’ rights to protect their ancestors, belongings, sacred and cultural materials and the corresponding intellectual property rights that pertain to them.