The Navajo Supreme Court Highlights Importance of Jurisdiction to Tribal Courts
The Navajo Supreme Court issued a recent opinion addressing jurisdiction and forum selection clauses in the context of real property on the Navajo Nation. Neptune Leasing, Inc. v. Mountain States Petroleum Corp, et al., No. SC-CV-24-10 (2013).[1. Modrall Sperling was counsel for one…
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Constitution Day 2013 – Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?
Each year in September, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of New Mexico visits classrooms statewide, teaching 5th graders about the importance of the Constitution. Spencer Edelman, a firm associate and member of the Board of YLD, helped to coordinate…
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New Mexico Court of Appeals Split Opinion Rules Tribal Sovereign Immunity Does Not Apply in Action to Declare Road Status on Tribal Fee Land
In a 2-1 opinion, the New Mexico Court of Appeals in Hamaatsa, Inc. v. Pueblo of San Felipe, 2013-NMCA- ___, No. 31,297 (July 23, 2013), took a very narrow view of tribal sovereign immunity and concluded equitable considerations of a non-tribal entity’s…
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BLM Issues Draft EA for Oil & Gas Leasing Near Chaco Canyon
On September 3, 2013, the Bureau of Land Management in Farmington issued its draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed lease sale of federal lands to occur on January 22, 2014. The proposed lease sale includes several tracts of land for proposed oil…
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Susan Stockstill (1951-2013)
The firm announces with great sadness the passing of Susan Stockstill, our partner for several decades, who died in Santa Fe on Monday, September 2. Susan, a graduate…
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Native American Law Watch – Fall 2013
View as PDF The Fall 2013 edition of Modrall Sperling’s Native American Law Watch includes: Tribal Sovereign Immunity Application: New Mexico Court of Appeals Split Opinion Rules Tribal Sovereign Immunity Does Not Apply in Action to Declare Road Status on Tribal Fee…
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