Choctaw Allotment Owners Challenge Oil & Gas Leasing Practices Under 1947 Stigler Act

With legal assistance from mctlaw, the Native American owners of an Indian allotment on the Choctaw Reservation in eastern Oklahoma have sued the federal government, claiming breach of trust and unconstitutional taking of the allotment’s natural gas resources. These claims stem from how federal officials have managed oil & gas interests owned by individual Indians […]

Sauk-Suiattle Tribe Represented by Attorneys at mctlaw File Suit to Reclaim Ancestral Fishing Rights in Puget Sound Area

SEATTLE, WA (September 17, 2024) — The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, with legal representation from the attorneys at mctlaw, is making a significant legal push to reclaim its customary fishing rights in Washington’s Puget Sound and surrounding freshwater streams. The Tribe has asked the federal court to reaffirm the rights they believe have been wrongfully denied […]

Everything is Better With Good Government

Helping Tribes Make Modern Constitutions and Improve Tribal Governing Documents Attorney Jeffrey Nelson from the Firm’s Indian Law group discusses the history of the Mattaponi Tribe in Virginia, as well as their recent election under their newly drafted election code and constitution. He highlights the importance of tribal governance documents written for and with the […]

Online Gaming: How Tribes Can Use a Hub-and-Spoke Gaming Model to Link Reservations, Increase Play, and Reduce Costs

After the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports wagering in 2018, sports wagering not only exploded in popularity but was also quickly launched into the 21st century with the proliferation of online sportsbooks, particularly mobile app-based sports betting platforms. It is impossible to turn on the TV without being flooded with advertisements for […]

RES 2023 Misuse of Railway Easements in Indian Country

Going Off the Rails – Misuse of Railway Easements in Indian Country – If You Missed it at RES 2023 If you weren’t able to attend RES 2023, then we’ll bring RES to you. Here’s a recap of our panel discussion “Going Off the Rails – Misuse of Railway Easements in Indian Country,” hosted by […]

SSIT Sports Wagering Approval

On June 14, 2022, the Department of the Interior published notice of the Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe Gaming Compact Amendment that now authorizes the Tribe to operate sports betting. Attorney Kehl VanWinkle authored this amendment and testified before the State Legislature on behalf of our clients, the Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe. You can review the […]

Tribal Leaders Seek Win In Okla. Gambling Pact Challenge

Source: Law360 Law360 (March 15, 2022, 6:02 PM EDT) — The heads of two Oklahoma tribes have asked a D.C. federal judge to hand them a win in a suit against them and the U.S. Department of the Interior by four other tribes challenging their gambling compacts with the governor, saying the case lacks legal […]

Appellate and Indian Law Attorneys File Ninth Circuit Opening Brief on Behalf of Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe’s Treaty Fishing Rights in United States v. Washington 

The Appellate and Indian Law Groups at mctlaw have filed an Opening Brief before the Ninth Circuit on behalf of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of the State of Washington.  The issue on appeal is whether the Sauk-Suiattle have treaty fishing rights in the Skagit River.    The 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott guaranteed all of […]