CILS PROVIDES FREE ASSISTANCE PREPARING YOUR TAXES

Starting January 28, 2013

California Indian Legal Services is happy to offer free tax preparation assistance. Since 2004 CILS has worked to provide California Native communities with an opportunity to complete the preparation of their state and federal income tax returns at no cost. This great program is now available to most tax payers, and has the ability to address Indian income tax matters that are often missed by others.

All Counties call CILS for an appointment: 1-800-829-0284, extension 307

See our Flyer!

Links to free online tax services will become active on January 30, 2013.

Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Birth Father, and Cherokee Nation

On January 4th, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of the case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, Birth Father, and Cherokee Nation.

The South Carolina Supreme Court gave custody of Baby Girl to her non-custodial Indian father after her biological mother consented to adoption by a non-Indian couple without disclosing the child’s Cherokee heritage, which would have invoked the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

At stake in the U.S. Supreme Court’s review is: 1) whether a non-custodial Indian parent can invoke the ICWA to block an adoption that was voluntarily and lawfully initiated by a non-Indian parent under state law, and 2) whether the ICWA defines “parent” to include an unwed biological Indian father who has not complied with state law rules to attain legal status as a parent.

The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could adversely impact every tribe in the United States on how future decisions are made by state courts regarding placement of Indian children in cases where the ICWA applies (juvenile, dependency, guardianship, adoption, etc.).

Conference Call January 15th

California Indian Legal Services is hosting a conference call on Tuesday, January 15th at 10 a.m. (Pacific time) to discuss the case.  The call-in number and access code to participate are:  (712) 432-0600; access code 69255#.

Please contact Delia Parr ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / 707-443-8397), Dorothy Alther ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / 760-746-8941) or your local CILS office.

For a .pdf copy of this Tribal Alert, click here.

New trust land leasing regulations effective January 4, 2013

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published new regulations clarifying the BIA’s role in certain leases on Indian trust land, effective January 4, 2013. This will affect all Indian trust land, both tribal and individually held lands. The new regulations apply to all current and pending residential, business, and Wind and Solar Resource leases.  Read more about the new regulations in our Tribal Alert!

CILS Annual Report 2011-2012

As we end 2012 please take a moment to review some of the CILS milestones in our Annual Report. From our court victories and case settlements to our 45th Anniversary Gala, 2012 held many good things for CILS. As we look to the new year, we wish you all a happy 2013.