NARF Blog

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.

Supreme Court Protects Native Voters Who Rely on Mail Voting

Native voters are disproportionately affected by a dearth of voter services and postal delays beyond their control. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld voters’ rights by allowing cast on time to be counted after Election Day.

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.

Michigan Accepting Public Comment on Line 5

Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities have long warned of the risks that the proposed Line 5 tunnel project poses to the waters, fisheries, and natural resources

Most recent Legal Review features the Tribal Supreme Court Project 25th Anniversary

The NARF Legal Review is published semi-annually and provides updates on NARF’s work and other timely 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.”

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.

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