NATIVE AMERICAN LAW
(LAWG-4110) - 2 UNITS

The United States Constitution recognizes three distinct sources of sovereign authority within the United States: the federal government, the states, and Indian tribes and nations. This course analyzes the tension and conflicts between our federal constitutional system and the tribes as sovereign entities with the ability "to make their own laws and be governed by them," Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217, 220 (1959). We will examine the interplay between the three sovereigns through a weekly deep-dive into a particular hot-button issue. Students should gain a critical understanding of the basic tenets of Indian law, the bases of tribal sovereignty, the structure of the federal-tribal relationship and its history, and a sense of the future directions the courts, tribes, and Congress may take in addressing current legal issues in Indian country.

Pass/Fail:
No

Prerequisites:
None