In the Headlines
April 29, 2020
Navajo Nation Sues DOI For Holding Back Forest Funds
Law360
Native American Law Partner Philip Baker-Shenk is representing the Navajo Nation in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) claiming the department is illegally holding back money for the tribe's forestry program that the government owes under a self-determination contract. In its complaint, the Navajo Nation said that the DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs violated the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act by failing to deliver over $700,000 under a funding agreement for the tribe's forestry management program, even though a representative for DOI Secretary David Bernhardt had recommended that the tribe’s proposal be approved.