Guest Opinion. The tribal gaming industry has been the most successful economic development in Indian country in my lifetime. Over the past four and a half decades, it has lifted entire communities out of crushing poverty and conferred economic and political power to Indian people for the first time in generations.

Guest Opinion. Native communities already experience obstacles to voting, from language barriers and lack of polling places on reservations to state laws which do not recognize Tribal identifications or accept reservation addresses that sometimes do not include house numbers or even street names.

A federal court has issued an order halting the U.S. government’s plans to transfer Oak Flat—the most sacred site of the Western Apaches—to a multinational mining corporation for destruction. In the case Apache Stronghold v. United States , the government recently indicated it could hand over the land as soon as June 16, 2025, to Resolution Copper, a mining company with Chinese ownership, which intends to transform the sacred site into a massive copper mine. This would effectively end Apache religious practices tied to the land. Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Western Apaches, other Native communities, and allies, filed an emergency motion to pause the transfer while the case awaits review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Jamul Indian Village of California marked a momentous occasion last week, celebrating the passage of S. 3857—the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act —alongside members of Congress, local officials, Tribal Leaders, Elders, and community members. The legislation facilitates the long-awaited return of 172.10 acres of ancestral land in Jamul to the Tribe.