{"id":31039,"date":"2023-06-20T23:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T03:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/2023\/06\/20\/indian-country-celebrates-decision-in-support-of-indian-child-welfare-act\/"},"modified":"2023-10-18T10:54:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T14:54:54","slug":"indian-country-celebrates-decision-in-support-of-indian-child-welfare-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/06\/20\/indian-country-celebrates-decision-in-support-of-indian-child-welfare-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country celebrates decision in support of Indian Child Welfare Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CYpagQ3-jQs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CYpagQ3-jQs>Rebecca Benally &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Indian Country celebrates decision in support of Indian Child Welfare Act<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Tuesday, June 20, 2023<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Indian Country is breathing a huge sigh of relief after the highest court in the land delivered a surprising victory in one of the most closely-watched cases in decades.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBy a vote of 7-2, the <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/>U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> last Thursday upheld the legality of the <a href=https:\/\/www.nicwa.org\/about-icwa\/>Indian Child Welfare Act<\/a> (ICWA). The historic decision in <a href=https:\/\/sct.narf.org\/caseindexes\/haaland_v_brackeen.html><EM>Haaland v. Brackeen<\/EM><\/a> ensures that tribes can continue to protect their most precious resource \u2014 their children \u2014 through a federal law that recognizes the sovereignty of Indian nations.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThis is really a significant, important, emotional day for us across Indian Country,\u201d   <a href=https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rebecca-m-benally-71505246\/>Rebecca Benally<\/a>, a citizen of the <a href=https:\/\/www.navajo-nsn.gov\/>Navajo Nation<\/a>, said just hours after the ruling was issued by the high court on June 15.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBenally happened to be in the Washington, D.C., to wrap up her work on the <a href=https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/tribal-affairs\/treasury-tribal-advisory-committee>Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee<\/a>. Over the last four years, she has been advising the <a href=https:\/\/www.treasury.gov\/>Department of the Treasury<\/a> on matters of importance to tribes and their citizens.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/06\/20\/indian-country-celebrates-decision-in-support-of-indian-child-welfare-act\/rebeccabenallymellorwillie\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-31051\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"31051\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/06\/20\/indian-country-celebrates-decision-in-support-of-indian-child-welfare-act\/rebeccabenallymellorwillie\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/31\/RebeccaBenallyMellorWillie-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1686866938&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0037037037037037&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Rebecca Benally and Mellor Willie\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Rebecca Benally and Mellor Willie&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Rebecca Benally, center, delivers a prayer in the Navajo language at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2023, with Mellor Willie on the left and her granddaughter on the right. Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/31\/RebeccaBenallyMellorWillie-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/31\/RebeccaBenallyMellorWillie-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Rebecca Benally and Mellor Willie\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31051\" \/><\/a>\r\n  <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Rebecca Benally, center, delivers a prayer in the Navajo language at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2023, with Mellor Willie on the left and her granddaughter on the right. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nFor Benally, a former elected official in a county located on the Utah portion on the Navajo Nation, the priorities include protecting children. To underscore the commitment, she brought her family \u2014 including two of her young grandchildren \u2014 to an event celebrating the ICWA decision.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThis is my granddaughter here with me \u2014 in hopes that one day I pass the baton on to what it means to serve her people.\u201d Benally said in front of the <a href=https:\/\/americanindian.si.edu\/>National Museum of the American Indian<\/a>  in D.C.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAs she delivered a prayer in the Navajo language, Benally stressed the importance of coming together at a place like the NMAI, which is one of the most visibly Native spaces in the nation\u2019s capital,  to commemorate the Supreme Court\u2019s long-awaited decision. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n \u201cIn the Dine, Navajo way, no matter how small, how big, how few, however many \u2014 if there&#8217;s a traditional moment, you celebrate it,\u201d Benally said with one of  her granddaughters at her side. \u201cYou let the holy people know and be known that you appreciate them, and that they were with us as our ancestors are.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cBY50dttXmE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cBY50dttXmE>Justin Ahasteen &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJustin Ahasteen, the new executive director of the <a href=https:\/\/www.nnwo.org>Navajo Nation Washington Office<\/a>, echoed the sentiments at the celebration. He  shared his own personal connection to ICWA \u2014 having almost lost his connections to his Navajo family as a young person until his tribal government stepped in and asserted its sovereignty.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cICWA protected me and allowed me to return home to my people,\u201d said Ahasteen, who was appointed to his leadership role in D.C. by recently-installed <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BuuVanNygren\/>President Buu Nygren<\/a> of the Navajo Nation. \u201cMy aunt then took us in and started raising us, and now my aunt is my mother.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cSo this law shows that it does work,\u201d Ahasteen continued. \u201cIt does protect us, and it&#8217;s very important to me, you know, being a product of that because I get to keep my heritage. I got to keep my culture and I got to keep my identity \u2014  and that&#8217;s nothing that I would trade.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elizabeth-reese-136b1238\/>Elizabeth Reese<\/a>, a citizen of the <a href=https:\/\/www.nambepueblo.org\/>Pueblo of Nambe<\/a>, spoke on behalf of her boss, President Joe Biden of the United States. Although she\u2019s relatively new to her <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/2023\/04\/13\/new-native-adviser-set-to-join-president-biden-at-white-house\/>job as Senior Policy Advisor for Native Affairs at the White House<\/a>, she\u2019s worked in Indian law and policy for decades, including a stint at the <a href=https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/>National Congress of American Indians<\/a> in D.C.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cI think like many of you, I am so relieved and feel like a huge weight has been lifted \u2014  from the worry that we have had, thinking about this case and waiting about this case,\u201d Reese said in what were her first known public remarks since joining the Biden administration in April.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x_cZEvDAZoE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x_cZEvDAZoE>Elizabeth Reese &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBefore reading the <a href=https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2023\/06\/15\/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-supreme-court-decision-in-haaland-v-brackeen\/>statement issued by the president<\/a> earlier in the day about the decision in <EM>Haaland v. Brackeen<\/EM>, Reese observed: \u201cWe know that this law is precious to Indian Country, and I think there&#8217;s very few laws that really, aptly  deserve that designation.\u201d\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cI really think that precious is the right word when it comes to the when it comes to the Indian Child Welfare Act and what it has meant to our tribal communities,\u201d said Reese, whose parents also happened to be attending the celebration at NMAI, having just arrived in D.C. the night prior.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nEven before ICWA became law in 1978, <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephenroelewis>Governor Stephen Roe Lewis<\/a> of the <a href=https:\/\/www.gilariver.org\/>Gila River Indian Community<\/a>  pointed out that tribes have always worked to keep their people together. He remembered his own father, the late <a href=https:\/\/www.jwarrenfuneral.com\/obituaries\/Rodney-Blaine-Lewis?obId=19709175>Rodney Blaine Lewis<\/a>, an <a href=https:\/\/www.gricnews.org\/index.php\/grin-articles\/2022-articles\/november-18-2022\/the-late-rodney-b-lewis-recognized-by-indian-gaming-association>attorney who was the first Native person<\/a> to argue \u2014 and win \u2014 a case before the Supreme Court, bringing young citizens back to their homelands in Arizona.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cSo this has been a long established precedent that needs to continue to be fought for, and I&#8217;m glad we&#8217;re here,\u201d said Lewis, who by fate was in town on the day of the decision in support of ICWA. \u201cI just happen to be here  &#8212; as an advocate as my other fellow tribal leaders do here in D.C.  &#8212; when this   important victory came out.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nStill, Lewis urged Indian Country to remain on alert. Despite the   resounding message from the Supreme Court, he  said opponents of ICWA will try to find ways to undermine the law and threaten the nation-to-nation relationship between tribes and the United States.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;But the fight&#8217;s not over,&#8221; Lewis said in the nation&#8217;s capital. &#8220;Enemies of sovereignty are still there, those such as the Goldwater Institute  and all of those anti-tribal sovereignty  organizations, are still going to try to keep on attacking our families, the well-being of our children.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;But don&#8217;t mistake that ICWA is the gold standard in protecting our children, protecting them from over a century of destructive, genocidal practices that our children were visited upon,&#8221;   Lewis added.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rH1hqBaMHQ8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rH1hqBaMHQ8>Stephen Roe Lewis &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Goldwater Institute is based in  Arizona, home to more than 20 tribal nations. The organization was founded in honor of the late U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, a <a href=https:\/\/www.potawatomi.org\/blog\/2019\/03\/14\/potawatomi-join-amicus-brief-supporting-icwa\/>conservative Republican who was among the many lawmakers who supported  ICWA<\/a> when it was <a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/95th-congress\/senate-bill\/1214\/all-actions>signed into  law<\/a> some 45 years ago.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHowever, as Lewis noted,  the organization is promising to continue its long-running campaign against ICWA. The group&#8217;s website  features no less than three new posts about the ruling in <EM>Haaland v. Brackeen<\/EM> &#8212; including one vowing more litigation.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;While it\u2019s shameful that the Court would turn a deaf ear to the cries of our country\u2019s most at-risk children, it is at least gratifying that the Court left open the door to future lawsuits challenging the race-based injustices caused by ICWA,&#8221; the <a href=https:\/\/www.goldwaterinstitute.org\/supreme-court-decision-is-latest-injustice-inflicted-on-native-americans\/>Goldwater Institute&#8217;s first post  about <EM>Brackeen<\/em><\/a> reads. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/www.goldwaterinstitute.org\/what-does-the-icwa-ruling-mean-for-native-american-kids\/>second <EM>Haaland<\/em> post complains<\/a> that &#8220;ICWA applies based entirely on the blood in a child\u2019s veins&#8221; &#8212;  a position rejected, at least partially, by the Supreme Court with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/opinion-21-376-barrett.pdf\">majority decision authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett<\/a>. The opinion confirms that Congress has the authority to enact ICWA based on the unique legal and political relationship between tribal nations and the U.S.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Protect ICWA Celebration!<br><br>TODAY in Washington DC at the National Museum of the American Indian. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmithsonianNMAI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SmithsonianNMAI<\/a> <br><br>Event Invite: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GXHBzPF7PG\">https:\/\/t.co\/GXHBzPF7PG<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StopColonizers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#StopColonizers<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ProtectICWA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ProtectICWA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DefendICWA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DefendICWA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ICWA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ICWA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Brackeen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Brackeen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QsGcFsgDAg\">pic.twitter.com\/QsGcFsgDAg<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1669388066685845517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 15, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/www.goldwaterinstitute.org\/supreme-court-decision-means-crimes-against-native-american-children-continue\/>organization&#8217;s third <EM>Brackeen<\/em> post rehashes the race-based argument<\/a> with a link to an opinion written by Timothy Sandefur, who as vice president for Legal Affairs at the Goldwater Institute  has been a leading voice against ICWA for more than a decade. Published by a conservative news outlet, the piece carries the incendiary title of &#8220;Supreme Court Decision Means Crimes Against Native American Children Continue.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut while <EM>Brackeen<\/em>  did not completely resolve the race-based arguments of ICWA opponents, tribal advocates are hoping that the words from another member of the  Supreme Court  carry significant weight going forward. In a  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/concurrence-21-376-gorsuch.pdf\">40-page concurrence<\/a>,  Justice Neil Gorsuch   strongly supported the views that  were expressed in briefs submitted by nearly every tribal government and inter-tribal organization. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Our Constitution reserves for the tribes a place &#8212; an enduring place &#8212; in the structure of American life,&#8221; Gorsuch wrote in a strong endorsement of  tribal  rights, following a lengthy explanation of the need for ICWA and the  history behind forced removals of Indian children from  their families and communities through genocidal laws, policies and practices, including the  Indian boarding schools that were operated and supported by the U.S. government.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n &#8220;It promises them sovereignty for as long as they wish to keep it,&#8221; Gorsuch reminded the public in his concurrence in support of tribes.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gnGnJEqLs_Q?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gnGnJEqLs_Q>Ian Gershengorn &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/www.jenner.com\/en\/people\/ian-heath-gershengorn>Ian H. Gershengorn<\/a>, the  attorney who argued <EM>Brackeen<\/em> on behalf of the tribal parties, said Gorsuch&#8217;s concurrence is already having an impact throughout the country, just hours after being released by the high court.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n &#8220;I can tell you &#8212;  from the emails that I&#8217;ve gotten in the last  seven hours from people in the field saying they&#8217;re already citing Justice Gorsuch&#8217;s concurrence in court filings,&#8221; Gershengorn said to applause at the celebration in support of ICWA.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n&#8220;They&#8217;re already working to use this to keep tribal families together,&#8221;  Gershengorn added.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAnd in  reference to ICWA&#8217;s status as the gold standard in child welfare law, Gershengorn said &#8220;this decision not only preserved what&#8217;s working, but is actually helping to make things better on the ground.&#8221;\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;As we litigate cases in the Supreme Court on tribal issues, it becomes clear over and over that one of the most important things we do is get tribal voices before the court to let them understand what&#8217;s happening in Indian Country,&#8221; he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2qu2AaCWo9E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2qu2AaCWo9E>Morgan Saunders &#8211; #ProtectICWA Celebration &#8211; June 15, 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThrough the <a href=https:\/\/sct.narf.org>Tribal Supreme Court Project<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/www.narf.org\/>Native American Rights Fund<\/a> helped coordinate an unprecedented level of support for ICWA from every corner of Indian Country. More than 500 tribes and more than 50 inter-tribal organizations signed onto briefs, defending the law against attacks from conservative state officials and their non-Indian allies.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMorgan Saunders, an attorney at NARF, credited the  ICWA victory to &#8220;the more than 500 tribal nations who came together to say: This is a line in this sand for us, and for tribal sovereignty and for our children.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;I think we were successful,&#8221; Saunders said of Indian Country&#8217;s unity in defense of ICWA. &#8220;I know we were successful because of the unprecedented support and the coming together of all of those tribal nations.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">U.S. Supreme Court Decision &#8211; Haaland v. Brackeen<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/21-376_7l48.pdf\">Full Document <\/a> (133 pages)<p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/syllabus-21-376.pdf\">Syllabus <\/a> (8 pages) <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/opinion-21-376-barrett.pdf\">Opinion [Barrett] <\/a> (34 pages) <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/concurrence-21-376-gorsuch.pdf\"> Concurrence [Gorsuch]<\/a> (38 pages) <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/concurrence-21-376-kavanaugh.pdf\"> Concurrence [Kavanaugh]<\/a> (2 pages) <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/dissent-21-376-alito.pdf\"> Dissent [Alito]<\/a> (11 pages) <p><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/31\/dissent-21-376-thomas.pdf\"> Dissent [Thomas] <\/a>  (40 pages)\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/2023\/06\/09\/it-is-about-disabling-tribal-sovereignty-tribes-anticipate-major-rulings-from-u-s-supreme-court\/\" title=\"\u2018It is about disabling tribal sovereignty\u2019: Tribes anticipate major rulings from U.S. Supreme Court\">\u2018It is about disabling tribal sovereignty\u2019: Tribes anticipate major rulings from U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> (June 9, 2023)<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"related-story\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/news\/2023\/04\/24\/nafoa-opens-annual-economic-development-conference-in-nations-capital\/\" title=\"NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation\u2019s capital\">NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation\u2019s capital<\/a> (April 24, 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