- Details
- By Alina Bykova
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior announced Wednesday that Robert Anderson (Bois Forte Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe) has been formally nominated as Solicitor of the Interior Department. He has served as Interior’s Principal Deputy Solicitor since Jan. 20, 2021.
Anderson’s nomination has been transmitted by the White House to the United States Senate, the Interior Department said in a statement.
Anderson worked as a law professor at the University of Washington for 20 years and also directed its Native American Law Center. He has been the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School for the past 12 years. Anderson is a co-author and editor of the leading federal Indian Law treatise, “Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law,” and a co-author of a leading textbook on American Indian Law. Anderson has also published many articles in the fields of natural resources law, water law, and American Indian law.
“Bob [Anderson] has extensive legal expertise with regard to Native American Tribes, public lands, and water – all of which will help advance Interior’s mission to steward America's natural, cultural and historic resources and honor our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes in accordance with the spirit and letter of the law. He is a thoughtful and trusted senior member of our team at Interior, with my deep confidence, and I look forward to his confirmation process,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Anderson served as the Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs and Counselor to the Secretary under Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt during the Clinton administration. He began his career as a staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, where he practiced law for 12 years. He also served on the transition agency review teams for President-elect Obama and President-elect Biden.
Raised in the small town of Ely in northeastern Minnesota, Anderson received his law degree from the University of Minnesota.
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.