"We have paved the road for other people in Alaska. Good news for tribes. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear the state of Alaska’s appeal in the Kaltag decision.

The state will have to honor the tribal court orders and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in favor of the tribe will stand. In part, it said “reservation status is not a requirement of jurisdiction because a tribe’s authority over its reservation of Indian country is incidental to its authority over its members.”

Native American Rights Fund attorneys Natalie Landreth and Heather Kendall-Miller began representing the Kaltag tribe in 2006.

Let us hope that we can all work together better for the benefit of tribal children. We are so proud to help other people."

Get the Story:
Hudson and Selina Sam: Tribe wins (The Fairbanks Daily News Miner 10/8)

Also Today:
Kaltag Tribal Council wins lengthy court fight over adoptions (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 10/8)

Relevant Documents:
NARF Press Release (October 4, 2010)

9th Circuit Decision:
Kaltag Tribal Council v. Jackson (August 28, 2009)

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Supreme Court asks for DOJ views on Alaska ICWA case (4/26)
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