- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema and a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the House and Senate have filed an amicus brief in federal court, urging the court to protect the Indian Child Welfare Act.
The bipartisan and bicameral brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans as the court re-opens its August ruling, which affirmed the Indian Child Welfare Act’s constitutionality in Brackeen v. Bernhardt. The decision the Fifth Circuit issued in August reversed a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas which wrongly struck down the Indian Child Welfare Act as unconstitutional, according to a news release from Sinema’s office.
“Native American children in Arizona and across the country deserve to be able to grow up with the support of their communities,” Sinema said. “Protecting the Indian Child Welfare Act ensures tribal families can stay together.”
The amicus brief urges the Fifth Circuit to uphold the court’s previous decision affirming the constitutionality of the law.
Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, after receiving testimony that 25 to 35 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native children were removed from their homes by state and private adoption agencies. The law sets best-practice standards for child welfare and adoption proceedings involving children who are members of a federally recognized tribe or are eligible for membership in a federally recognized tribe.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project Engages 203 Zuni Youth (Ages 7 -12) in Annual Basketball League
Native News Weekly (June 8, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
