Field Notes from The Headwaters Report
By: Daniel CordalisJuly 22, 2026Published as part of The Headwaters Report
A Bad Week for Tribal Nations
What a bad week last week was. Despite an ongoing cacophony of
FEATURE: A Trailblazer for Tribal Sovereignty
NRDC Board member John Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation and Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund, has devoted his career to asserting the legal and civil rights of Native Americans.
Water Resources at the National Indian Law Library
The National Indian Law Library is dedicated to federal Indian and Tribal law. As part of NARF, the library serves both NARF attorneys and the public by maintaining a unique and valuable collection of Indian law resources and providing specialized research assistance on Indian Law topics.
Eighth Circuit Dismisses Jurisdictional Challenge to White Earth Nation Permitting Process
This article provides a case review and discussion of a growing conflict between Tribal Nations and non‑Indian landowners over who has the authority to regulate water use on non-Indian fee land within reservation boundaries—Tribes or states.
The Implementation Project at the 25th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The Implementation Project (TIP) attended the 25th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues from April 20 to May 1, 2026, to support Tribal leaders in ensuring attention to Indigenous Peoples’ issues arising in the United States and abroad. The theme of the 25th Session was “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict.”
Supreme Court Sends Voting Rights Case Back to the Eighth Circuit
Today the U.S. Supreme Court voided the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s previous erroneous decision in Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa ndians et al. v. Howe, a voting rights case in North Dakota that had stripped private individuals of the ability to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act after a trial court ruled that North Dakota’s legislative map was unlawful. The case has been sent back to the Eighth Circuit for further proceedings following Louisiana v. Callais, a recent Supreme Court decision regarding Section 2.
Papa Ola Lōkahi seeks to intervene in defense of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program
On May 15, 2026, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of Papa Ola Lōkahi in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program.
In Victory for Tribe, Court Confirms NAGPRA Applies to Children’s Remains
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to hold the U.S. Army accountable to its legal obligations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to repatriate Samuel’s and Edward’s remains from the Carlisle Cemetery to Winnebago.
Montana Keeps Election Day Voter Registration
On May 11, 2026, the Montana First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County, issued an order ruling that Senate Bill 490, which passed during the 2025 Montana Legislative
Celebrating 25 Years of the Tribal Supreme Court Project
For 25 years, the Tribal Supreme Court Project has worked to protect Tribal sovereignty and defend the rights of Tribal Nations and Native people before the Supreme Court of the United States. This year, the Native American Rights Fund is proud to mark that milestone with the release of the Tribal Supreme Court Project 25th Anniversary Report, a reflection on the Project’s history, impact, and future.
