Here is the order is National Parks Conservation Association v. Dept. of the Interior (D. Mass.):
Excerpts:
Massachusetts Federal Court Orders Restoration of National Park Service Materials Censored by Interior Department
cultural resources
Yurok Sues City of Trinidad over Ancestral Remains
Here is the complaint in Yurok Tribe v. City of Trinidad (Cal. Super. Ct.):
Seattle Law School: “Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation” on June 5, 2026
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 readingD.C. Circuit Rejects Narragansett’s Challenge to Federal Highway Admin. Decisions
Grand River Band Chairman Ron Yob Speaking at the Michigan Tribal-State-Federal Judicial Forum
Lummi Tribe Sues Telephone Company over Destruction of Ancestral Burial Plots
Here are the materials so far in Lummi Tribe v. Whidbey Telephone Co. (W.D. Wash.):
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
Indian Peaks Band Files to Protect Tribal Water Rights
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
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.
Protections continue for Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument
On April 1, 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the Arizona Legislature’s challenge to Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The decision leaves the monument in place and fully protected. You can see the decision here:
In September of 2024, the District Court denied, without prejudice, the Tribes’ motion to intervene in this case, finding the United States adequately represented the Tribes’ interests at that time. Here is that order:
2024-9-9 DOC 72 Order denying Motions to Intervene Tribal Nations, and Conservation Intervenors, granting State intervenors 4887-3571-0947 v.1Download
The Ninth Circuit’s April 1 decision affirms the District Court decision dismissing the two consolidated cases filed against the Monument designation.
The National Monument protects thousands of historic and scientific objects, sacred places, vital water sources, and the ancestral homelands of many Indigenous Peoples. Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni lands include cultural and sacred places of the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, Moapa Band of Paiutes, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. The Monument receives its name from the Indigenous names given to the area by the Havasupai and Hopi. Baaj nwaavjo (BAAHJ – NUH-WAAHV-JOH) means “where Indigenous peoples roam” in the Havasupai language, and i’tah kukveni (EE-TAH – KOOK-VENNY) means “our ancestral footprints” in the Hopi language.
Learn More: Arizona Legislature v. Biden
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