Here:
Suncor, BTW, is a truly heinous polluter.
Supreme Court
Teck Metals v. Colville Cert Petition
Here:
Question presented:
The question presented is whether CERCLA authorizes damages for the felt loss of a cultural connection to natural resources.
Lower court materials here.
United States v. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Cert Petition
Here:
Lower court materials here.
Related: J.R. Simplot Co. LLC v. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes petition:
Wilton Rancheria Files Cert Petition in Labor Dispute
Here is the petition in Wilton Rancheria v. UNITE HERE:
Question presented:
Notwithstanding the deference afforded to arbitration awards, arbitrators lack the power to facially invalidate federal and state statutes. Similarly, courts defer to Tribal interpretation of Tribal law, as a critical element of longstanding policies upholding and safeguarding Tribal sovereignty. Does an arbitrator exceed his authority when he facially invalidates a duly-enacted Tribal law, especially when a court would not do so and when he would not be permitted to invalidate a duly-enacted federal or state statute?
Lower court materials here. Ninth Circuit unpublished opinion here.
Supreme Court Allows Ballots Cast On Time To Be Counted After Election Day
On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court, in Watson v. Republican National Committee, allowed Mississippi ballots cast on time to be counted after Election Day, as permitted under state law. The decision respects longstanding absentee ballot receipt rules. It also protects Native voters who are disproportionately affected by a dearth of voter services and postal delays beyond their control.
An amicus brief on behalf of the National Congress of American Indians, Alaska Federation of Natives, and Washington Conservation Action Education Fund was filed in the case. The brief explained that Native voters often are forced to mail in ballots because in-person voting is made less available in their communities. Meanwhile, Native communities often lack reliable mail delivery, have fewer postal services, and endure longer mail transit time, especially in Alaska Native communities. You can see the brief here.
SCOTUS Confirms Constitutional Birthright Citizenship Right over Four Dissenters
Here is the opinion in Trump v. Barbara.
One excerpt, suggesting Indians are like diplomats, what I’ve been saying all along, dammit:
Another, more explicitly, on Indians as diplomats:
Another on the government’s ridiculousness re: Elk v. Wilkins:
From Justice Jackson’s concurrence, the only intellectually honest opinion from this rat’s nest of white supremacy:
On why birthright citizenship is an issue in 2026:
On the Indian Citizenship Act:
The possible seeds for an undoing of the contemptible Elk v. Wilkins decision, which also rested on Dred Scott:
Justice Thomas’ dissent (the principal dissent) waxed on and on about “tribal Indians,” leading (I suggest) to at least two conclusions: (1) the United States does not have the power to tax “tribal Indians”; (2) the right of tribal self-government derives from international customary law (here comes UNDRIP!); and (3) Elk is wrong:
More Elk is wrong fodder:
More on Elk, though in reliance this time:
On the Indian Citizenship Act:
Wha?? China is less or equally alien than the Cherokee Nation?
“Tribal Indians” in same category as diplomats and “hostile alien occupiers” — this is getting weird:
Nothing from me on Kavanaugh or Alito, who don’t merit attention.
SCOTUS Denies Cert in U.S. v. Hopson (whether feds can prosecute lesser included offenses under MCA)
Coalition of Large Tribes Joins Oil Company Efforts to Undo Boulder County’s Fight Against Climate Change
Here is COLT’s amicus brief in support of the petition for writ of certiorari in Suncor Energy (USA) Inc. v. Board of Commissioners for Boulder County:
Supreme Court Sends Voting Rights Case Back to the Eighth Circuit
On May 18, 2026, in Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe, the petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was granted, the judgment was vacated, and the case was remanded to the Eighth Circuit in light of Louisiana v. Callais (2026). You can see the order here.
You can see the cert petition here and Eighth Circuit materials here. You can see more about the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais here and the opinion here.
Turtle Talk 
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