May 11, 2021
Posted by: Sean Balkin, Randolph Barnhouse, Kelli Keegan, John Koeppel, Lee Redeye and Michael Rossetti. Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, as a result of successes in economic investments in gaming, hospitality and other industries, Native American tribes had seen significant increases in revenues over the last several years. Unfortunately, in addition to the significant social [...]
March 29, 2021
Posted by Cole Bauman. On March 15, 2021, the United States Senate voted to confirm Debra Haaland, a 35th generation New Mexican and enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior. The vote concluded with 51 Senators “for” and 40 “against” with support not only from Democratic [...]
December 31, 2020
Posted by Michelle Miano. In a year defined by hardship, there is cause for celebration. This month, president-elect Joe Biden nominated Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), one of two Native American women currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, to the position of Secretary of Interior. Once confirmed, Rep. Haaland, an enrolled member of the [...]
November 2, 2020
Posted by Tierra Marks. We want to give a shout out to Josett Monette, who recently became the Managing Attorney of the Native American Program at New Mexico Legal Aid (“NMLA”). Although we are sad to have Josett leave the firm, we are excited for her and for her future clients! NMLA provides legal services [...]
August 24, 2020
Posted by Tierra Marks. When Karl E. Johnson, one of the founding members of our law firm, passed on Monday June 3, 2019, we lost a great lawyer, friend and person. Even though it has been over a year, we continue to think of Karl often, and remember him fondly as we work to ensure [...]
August 3, 2020
Posted by Cole Bauman. Indian Nations codify various tribal classifications within their constitutions and laws. Such actions are exercises of self-government and exemplify the inherent sovereign powers that federally recognized tribes retain. For example, the right of an Indian nation to define its own membership requirements “has long been recognized as central to [tribal] existence.” [...]
July 10, 2020
Posted by Tierra Marks. On July 9, 2020, the United States Supreme Court awarded a significant win for Indian Nations and the protection of their lands in McGirt v. Oklahoma, 591 U.S. ___ (2020). In McGirt, the Supreme Court held that the land promised to and reserved for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation remains Indian Country, [...]
June 15, 2020
Posted by Dianna Kicking Woman. Barnhouse Keegan Solimon & West is excited to announce that Cole Bauman is joining our firm! Cole is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, a Wisconsin tribe, and grew up in Northern Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Notre [...]
May 26, 2020
Posted by Josett D. Monette and Tierra Marks. On January 16, 2020, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a significant and unanimous win for tribal sovereign immunity in Mendoza v. Isleta Resort & Casino, et al. 2020-NMSC-006. Mendoza began in the New Mexico State Workers’ Compensation Administration (“WCA”) when an employee of Isleta Resort & [...]
May 5, 2020
Posted by Michelle Miano. As a firm that provides legal services to numerous Tribal governments impacted from COVID-19, we have kept a close eye on the $8 billion in emergency aid directed by Congress to be distributed to Tribal governments under the CARES Act. Prior to the April 26, 2020 deadline, several Tribal governments initiated [...]