Federal Indian law is shaping some of the biggest stories in America. Most journalists don't know they're covering it. - Poynter

""We are living through two times at once," said Seth Davis, professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law. "It is a time of tribal renaissance and a time of serious threats to tribal sovereignty and tribal peoples." Tribal nations are operating hospitals and schools, and supporting local economies throughout the U.S., he said, while facing decisions from the Trump administration and Supreme Court that "threaten to pull the rug out from under tribal governments" and the organizations that serve Native people."

""From the Standing Rock protests to the landmark McGirt ruling to the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, some of the most defining stories about land, sovereignty, governance and civil rights in the United States are rooted in federal Indian law. Yet most reporters have never been trained in this area. As a result, coverage often misses the larger forces at work in Indian Country.""

""Today, we are witnessing the dismantling of democracy and the rule of law at the federal level," he said. "The threats to both are threats that tribal sovereigns have long faced and are continuing to face today. Tribes are among those most affected by the unilateral cuts to government services and agencies. And tribes are among those best positioned to help save democracy and the rule of law by continuing to hold the federal government to its promises.""

Standing Rock, the McGirt ruling and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women are rooted in federal Indian law and shape land, sovereignty, governance and civil rights. Most reporters lack training in federal Indian law, causing coverage to miss larger forces affecting Indian Country. Tribal nations are experiencing a renaissance—operating hospitals, schools and supporting local economies—while facing executive and Supreme Court decisions that threaten tribal sovereignty and institutions. Federal Indian law governs issues like the environment, health care and education. Tribal nations face cuts to services yet remain positioned to hold the federal government to its promises and to defend democracy and the rule of law.

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