Indian Law Resources

The National Indian Law Library (NILL) is a public law library devoted to federal Indian and tribal law. NILL, which serves both the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and the public, has created Resources by Topic, a comprehensive webpage that includes descriptions of and links to both primary and secondary legal sources arranged by topic. Below is a sample of some of the resources available:

Court opinions and pleadings --> Court cases (federal, state)

• "Seminal U.S. Supreme Court Cases Regarding Federal Indian Law" from Wisconsin Judicare's Indian Law Office contains links to U.S. Supreme Court opinions (1831-present) that have shaped and influenced Indian Law.

• "Supreme Court Review" from the University of Oklahoma Law Center contains summaries of Indian cases before the Supreme Court, 1997-current. This webpage also contains the full-text of Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law.

Court opinions and pleadings --> Court cases (tribal)

• The "National Tribal Justice Resource Center" provides links to tribal courts, legal research, court personnel and legal issues. This site also includes a searchable database of Tribal Court Opinions.

Laws and treaties --> Federal administrative law

• "Decisions of the Interior Board of Indian Appeals" is an unofficial site that contains decisions from 1970-present.

• "Opinions of the Solicitor" from the University of Oklahoma Law Center contains opinions of the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior relating to Indian Affairs 1917-1974.

• "Indian Law Bulletin" contains summaries and links to regulatory actions affecting Native Americans.

Laws and treaties --> Federal law (U.S. Code and statutes)

• "Popular Names of Federal Native American Laws" from The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness contains links to sections of the U.S. Code through Cornell's Legal Information Institute.

Laws and treaties --> Legislation and legislative history

• "Legislative Update: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs" contains current bills sent to the Committee.

Laws and treaties --> Treaties

• This section contains a link to Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties from Oklahoma State University as well as links to sites with full-text treaties.

Laws and treaties --> Tribal law (primary sources)

• This section is a collection of links to websites that contain full-text Tribal Codes and Constitutions. Some of the organizations that maintain these sites are the National Indian Law Library, the National Tribal Justice Resource Center, the University of Oklahoma Law Library, and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute.

NILL provides research assistance to the public. Visit their Research & Information Assistance page for further details.