New Mexico Law Review & Tribal Law Journal Symposium – October 30, 2026

2027 National NALSA Writing Competition Details

From the website:

27th Annual National NALSA Writing Competition

The goal of the National NALSA Writing Competition is to encourage law students to become involved with National NALSA and increase awareness and education regarding legal issues that impact Native Nations, Tribal organizations, and Indigenous communities and people.

This year, the Competition will be hosted by the Michigan Law Review Online!

Michigan Law Review Online is the online-exclusive counterpart of the Michigan Law Review, one of the oldest and most prestigious legal scholarship journals in the country. MLR Online places emphasis on timely legal scholarship and, in accord with that goal, has an expedited production process compared to most other journals.

Submissions are now being accepted! The gist? Here you go:

  • 4,000–8,000 words (Yes—you read that right. A much shorter writing requirement than traditional law review Notes and Articles; after all, our goal is to make legal scholarship ACCESSIBLE!);
  • Deadline: March 19, 2027; and
  • One of the best law journals in the country.

All of the rest of the nitty gritty details can be found at the link below for the 2027 NNALSA Writing Competition Rules.

This year, Manuel Lewis (Gila River Indian Community, first descendant) is serving as the Writing Competition Administrator. He is an Executive Online Editor of the Michigan Law Review and can be contacted at writingcompetition@nationalnalsa.org if you have any questions!

American Indian Law Review, Vol. 50, Issue 1

Here:

Essay

PDF

“Discovered!”: Plaintiff’s Brief to the United States Supreme Court in Johnson & Graham’s Lessee v. M‘Intosh (1823)
Mark Savage

Comment

PDF

The Bad Man’s Hourglass: Extending the Clock on Justice
Liv G. Cummins

Notes

PDF

With Religious Freedom Came Religious Authority: Apache Stronghold v. United Statesand the Exclusion of Native American Religion Within the Legal Understanding of Religious Freedom
Cassidy Beck

PDF

Abrogation Without Mention: A Note on Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin
Taya Maxson

PDF

Tulsa v. O’Brien: A City Adds to the Battle over Jurisdiction in Indian Country
Fatima D. Jaime

Special Features

PDF

Ward, Trust, or Sovereign: The Impact of Metaphor in Supreme Court Indian Law Jurisprudence
Sadie Pate

PDF

Winner, Best Appellate Brief in the 2025 Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition
Baylee Ogle and Madison Bailey

Inaugural UMich NALSA Banquet Tickets Now Available — Important Fundraiser for Native Law Students — April 3, 2026

Hainipi, Boozhoo, Aaniin, Chokma, Yá’át’ééh, Imaynallan, Mohtompan wunne, Posoh, ᎣᏏᏲ, Lios em chaniavu, Ske:g taş: Greetings from the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) at Michigan Law! Please join us for our inaugural NALSA Banquet to celebrate Indigeneity and be in community.

Tickets available through the Michigan Union ticket office here.

Even if you cannot attend, please consider buying tickets as a donation.

New Student Scholarship on Tribal Courts’ Role in the Federalist Judicial System

Sharon Nunn has published “Correcting Nevada v. Hicks: Recognizing Tribal Courts as Courts of General Subject-Matter Jurisdiction” in the Yale Law Journal.

Here is the abstract:

This Note challenges the Supreme Court’s conclusion in Nevada v. Hicks that tribal courts are not courts of general subject-matter jurisdiction. Tribal courts satisfy the definition of general subject-matter jurisdiction courts: they are primary courts created by nonfederal sovereigns to hear a broad range of cases under their laws. Unlike previous scholarship, this analysis does not premise jurisdiction on near-perfect parity between tribal and state sovereignty, but focuses instead on tribal courts’ function in our federalist system. Recognizing tribal courts as general-jurisdiction courts would affirm tribal sovereignty and enable tribes to hear federal claims critical to self-governance.

Suzan Shown Harjo, Vine Deloria, Sam Deloria, Oren Lyons, Joe de la Cruz

Tribal Law Journal Call for Papers

TLJ is inviting scholarly, practitioner, and student submissions addressing legal issues affecting tribal nations and their internal justice systems. Contributions may include tribal court case comments, reflections on tribal systems, the development of tribal law, the value of tribal law, interviews, and teachings. Submissions are due by August 31, 2026, and chosen work will be published by Spring 2027

40th Annual Coming Together of Peoples Conference, March 19-21, 2026 @ UWisconsin Law School

American Indian Law Review, Vol. 49, Issue 2

Here:

Current Issue: Volume 49, Number 2 (2026)

PDF

Front Pages

Comments

PDF

Cutting the Gordian Knot of Civil Liability: Cross-Deputization Agreements as a Remedy to Jurisdiction and Liability Concerns for Indian Country in Oklahoma
K. Mekko Factor

PDF

A Historical Review of Congressional Plenary Power and Tribal Treaties and the Implications Following Herrera
Skye Hosch Taylor

Note

PDF

Unethical Business Practices Plague Native American Cultures and Economies – Solutions to the Ineffectiveness of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act
Benjamin Amoroso Sinder

Special Features

PDF

A Survivor’s Tale: How the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma Survived the Tidal Wave Collision of McGirt v. Oklahoma
Darbi E. Robertson

PDF

Winner, Best Appellate Brief in the 2024 Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition
Molly Gunther and Kevin Burdet