NARF Blog

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.”

Reflecting on Katie John Day: Supreme Court victory secures Alaska Native subsistence fishing fights

The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) celebrates a historic victory for our clients and Alaska Native communities as the United States Supreme Court announced on January

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.

SCOTUS Ruling Guts Voter Protections

On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act with their ruling in Callais v. Louisiana. The Native American

The Columbia River Treaty and Tribal Nations: Lessons in resilience

A Columbia River Treaty was reached and ratified in 1961 and it continues to provide flood control and coordinated upstream storage for downstream hydropower. Today, there is opportunity to address past wrongs through the current renegotiation of the treaty.

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