O'Connor's tenure filled with key Indian law cases (July 5, 2005)

Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor took her seat on the U.S. Supreme Court on September 25, 1981. During her 24 years on the bench, she participated in a large number of Indian law cases, ranging from taxation to treaty rights...

Florida judge critical of tribe in immunity case (July 5, 2005)

A judge in Florida is questioning why the Seminole Tribe refuses to waive its sovereign immunity even though it markets the reservation to non-Indians. In a June 15 opinion [PDF], 2nd District Court of Appeal Chief Judge Chris W. Altenbernd...

Justice O'Connor resigns from U.S. Supreme Court (July 5, 2005)

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, whose centrist voice made her a powerful player in a slew of Indian law cases over the past 25 years, resigned on Friday, paving the way for what is expected to be a...

Editorial: Now's the time to settle tribal land claims (July 5, 2005)

"Last week's turnabout in the seemingly endless Cayuga land-claim case — an appeals court threw out a $248 million judgment favorable to the tribe — produced a predictable reaction from the Cayuga nation's attorney. Martin Gold said he would appeal:...

Yellow Bird: All men equal, except for 'savages' (July 5, 2005)

"In what may be one of the most read and studied of all documents, the Declaration of Independence declares that "all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are...

O'odham group promotes farming tradition (July 5, 2005)

Two brothers from the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona are keeping the tribe's farming tradition alive. Three years ago, Terrol Johnson and Noland Johnson revived a four-acre farm used by their grandfather. Last year, they expanded to 48 acres and...

Program guides Indian students into health field (July 5, 2005)

The Headlands Indian Health Career Program at the University of Oklahoma is hosting 18 Indian students who are interested in pursuing careers in the health field. The intense eight-week program immerses participants in math and science courses. Students also take...

Bruce Babbitt fighting tribes on sacred site appeal (July 5, 2005)

Former Interior secretary Bruce Babbitt is fighting tribes who are opposed to snowmaking at the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona. Babbitt has been serving as a consultant to a ski area called the Arizona Snowbowl. Over the objections of...

Cobell calls for settlement of trust fund lawsuit (July 5, 2005)

Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Cobell v. Norton trust fund lawsuit, spoke about the case at an Indian symposium in Great Falls, Montana. Cobell said the federal government owes billions to individual Indians for mismanaging their land and...

Editorial: Resolution of trust fund debacle needed (July 5, 2005)

"Congress should consider a legal settlement proposed recently by prominent American Indian leaders. For 118 years, Uncle Sam has mismanaged Indian assets such as oil royalties and grazing leases. But for nearly a decade, the government has fought the Indians'...

Novak: Native Hawaiian bill creates new 'Indians' (July 5, 2005)

"The Senate is nearing floor debate and probable passage on a bill to establish 'a Native Hawaiian governing entity' entirely separate from the state government of Hawaii with a special voting roll of 'native-born' citizens. A race-based government entity is...

Elderly Navajo couple finally gets a new home (July 5, 2005)

An elderly Navajo couple who waited years for a new house finally got one, courtesy of the Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and Family at Arizona State University. Mary and Kee Augustine applied for housing aid several times but...

Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas gets ready for powwow (July 5, 2005)

The Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas is getting ready for its annual powwow The Kickapoo Pow-Wow Days will take place July 14-17. Hundreds of dancers are expected to compete for prizes. The Kickapoo Pow-Wow Princess will also be crowned. The events...

Republican apologizes for 'campfire' remark (July 5, 2005)

New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican, apologized for saying tribes make decisions by sitting "around the campfire." Bruno had criticized tribes for not being united on land claims in the state. "We don't sit around the...

Cayuga tribes to challenge land claim decision (July 5, 2005)

The Cayuga Nation of New York and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma plan to challenge a decision that dismissed their 25-year-old land claim, lawyers for the tribes said. The lawyers said they ask a full panel of the 2nd Circuit...

Seminole Tribe doesn't have problem with mascots (July 5, 2005)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida doesn't object to the use of Indians as sports mascots, the tribe's general counsel said. In a letter to the NCAA's Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, counsel Jim Shore said the tribe supports Florida...

Extradition from Pine Ridge Reservation sought (July 5, 2005)

A county prosecutor is asking the state of South Dakota to extradite two suspects from the Pine Ridge Reservation. Dakota Garnier, 19, and Dirk Garnier, 20, are charged in connection with the murder and assault of a Matthew Pepin, 18....

Upcoming Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearings (July 5, 2005)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will be holding a number of hearings this month. Here is the upcoming schedule. July 14 - Joint Hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on S.1057, the Indian Healthcare Improvement...