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The Supreme Court handed down a major decision Thursday in the Haaland v. Brackeen case, affirming the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act by a 7-2 vote.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were the lone justices to dissent.

The decision represents a major victory for federal Indian law and tribes across the nation.

In the opinion, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, said the court “declines to disturb the Fifth Circuit’s conclusion that ICWA is consistent with” Congress’s authority under the Constitution in Article I.

“The United States, joined by several Indian Tribes, defends the law,” read the opinion. “But the bottom line is that we reject all of petitioners’ challenges to the statute, some on the merits and others for lack of standing.” Challengers cited that ICWA was against “federal authority, infringes state sovereignty, and discriminates on the basis of race.” READ MORE— Kolby KickingWoman, ICT

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Carrie V. Wilson grew up with stories of her mother as a small child attending St. Mary’s of the Quapaw boarding school in Lincolnville, Oklahoma.

As chair of the cultural committee for Quapaw Nation, Wilson is well-versed in the importance of passing down accurate legacies for future generations. Wilson, now 68, recalls roaming the remnants of the old boarding school and its graveyard on her reservation when she was a child.

There were only a few memories that her mother, Edna, told her about the Catholic boarding school experience: that it was a scary place for a little girl. Being away from her family, the nuns in their habits — it was a strange, unusual environment, and she spent much time crying. Unable to assimilate, Edna’s mother came and took her home. Eventually, Edna and her brothers were sent to Seneca Indian School.

Now, 17 years after her mother’s death, some answers that have long remained elusive may emerge. St. Mary’s shut down in 1927 with few accessible records left behind, but it now appears on a first-of-its-kind list of Catholic-run boarding schools for Native children. READ MORE— The Imprint

Nevada is emerging as a major battleground to determine the fate of a century-and-a-half-old mining law as demand for critical minerals in the U.S soars.

Mining developers looking to extract minerals in Nevada are grappling with the aftermath of a 2022 federal court ruling against an Arizona copper mine, now known – infamously among mining corporations and their political allies – as the “Rosemont decision.”

The decision by a U.S. appellate court ruled that while federal mining law allows companies to mine on federal land where economically valuable minerals are present, they are not guaranteed the right to use federal land without valuable minerals as a dumping site for the mine.

The ruling has the potential to send mining projects — years in the making — back to square one. READ MORE — Nevada Current

It was dubbed the Indian World Series, with everything you’d find at a World Series today.

War whoops. Tomahawks. Painted faces. Racial slurs.

The two Indigenous players in the midst of that storied game in 1911 — pitcher Charles Bender and catcher John Meyers — are now featured in a new illustrated children’s book by acclaimed Cherokee author and poet Traci Sorell and Kickapoo illustrator/writer/musician/actress Arigon Starr.

The book, “Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series,” examines the 1911 series from a historical perspective but also presents the ongoing insults and slurs that Native players in a multitude of sports have endured for more than 100 years. READ MORE— Dianna Hunt, ICT

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Jacob Weasel had a goal to inspire youth and he achieved it by making history. The Lakota surgeon is believed to be the first Native American to summit Mount Everest — and he did it for a good cause. He created the non-profit called the Wopila Project in order to raise money on his expedition to build a playground for Lakota kids in Rapid City, South Dakota, and to create health clinics for women in Nepal.

The Writer’s Guild of America has been on strike, which has paused work and productions. So how has this affected Native writers and content? ICT’s Paris Wise has the report from a recent event in partnership with FNX.

WATCH HERE:

The company behind the controversial Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska has agreed to pay nearly $6.4 million to a group of shareholders who claim they were misled by corporate leaders.

Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. reached the settlement with the named plaintiffs, according to documents filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The settlement is the product of two lawsuits, later consolidated, alleging that Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Limited Partnership had defrauded investors through false and misleading statements. Northern Dynasty is the sole owner of the Pebble Limited Partnership.

The court filings name only a few individual investors, but the lawsuit has become a class-action claim with “likely hundreds, if not thousands of potential Settlement Class Members” to share in the payment, said the settlement memorandum filed on Wednesday. If the court approves the agreement and certifies the class, others who owned Northern Dynasty securities between Dec. 21, 2017 and Nov. 25, 2020 could be eligible for payment from the settlement total, according to the memorandum. READ MORE — Alaska Beacon

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