Native American Rights Fund and National Congress of American Indians’s Tribal Supreme Court Project
The Sovereignty Project is proud to work with the Tribal Supreme Court Project (TSCP), a joint project between the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Over the past year, the Sovereignty Project, in coordination with the TSCP, has drafted four amici briefs in cases before the Supreme Court and has also conducted independent legal and historical research for Tribal parties and interests.
Founded in 2001, the Tribal Supreme Court Project works to strengthen tribal advocacy before the U.S. Supreme Court by developing new litigation strategies and coordinating tribal legal resources, in order to ultimately improve the win-loss record of Indian tribes. The TSCP is staffed by attorneys with NARF and NCAI and consists of a Working Group of over 200 attorneys and academics from around the nation who specialize in Indian law and other areas of law that impact Indian cases, including property law, trust law, and Supreme Court practice. In addition, an Advisory Board of Tribal Leaders assists the TSCP by providing the necessary political and tribal perspective to the legal and academic expertise.
Jenner & Block Appellate and Supreme Court Practice and Native American Law Practice
The Sovereignty Project is proud to be a partner of the Appellate and Supreme Court and Native American Law Practices of Jenner & Block, an internationally recognized powerhouse with more than 500 lawyers across the United States and United Kingdom. Their lawyers handle cases ranging from high-profile disputes for major corporations to front-page social issues for organizations and individuals. Dedicated to partnering with and empowering tribal governments, the firm’s Native American Law team is led by and primarily composed of enrolled members and descendants of federally recognized tribes. The team is defending tribal communities in the most critical matters of our generation, including winning and defending the McGirt case, representing tribes in the defense of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and successfully defending the Yakama Nation’s 1855 treaty, all in front of the US Supreme Court.
Jenner & Block and the Project entered a formal partnership to assist with Supreme Court amici briefs on an annual and ongoing basis. This innovative partnership between the Project and one of the preeminent law firms working on federal Indian law matters before the US Supreme Court merges resources and expertise to support tribal sovereignty.
Tribal Constitutions Project
The Sovereignty Project proudly partners with the Tribal Constitutions Project, led by Northwestern Professor of Law Erin Delaney and Northwestern Assistant Professor of Sociology Beth Redbird. The Project examines changes in tribal sovereignty through written constitutionalization. Every tribe had its own structure and political history prior to colonization and establishment of the US, and these structures have changed over time. Some changes resulted from a system of federal constraints, their nature being externally inflicted on the tribe. Others were designed by the tribe to stave off federal involvement. Still others were crafted to reflect distinctly Indigenous priorities or history. The Project examines the development of sovereignty in three areas:
- Tribal sovereignty and constitutional path dependency
- Constitutions, culture, and citizenship
- Legislative power and the development of tribal sovereignty
The Tribal Constitutions Project is supported by the National Science Foundation.