Amid a glut of horrible rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court actually found time to keep the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) intact. This means Native children must be placed with families of their own tribe or other Native families if at all possible.
In between taking free trips and accepting payoffs from wealthy donors who have cases before the court, the right-wing justices felt so much pressure from the Indigenous movement that some caved and let ICWA stand. One major victory amid all the harm done during the 2023 session.
In other decisions, the Supremes refused the Navajo Nation access to water as promised in treaties and gutted affirmative action, which helped Native students and many others get access to higher education (see our story on affirmative action next issue). No doubt there will be future attempts via the Supreme Court to attack Native sovereignty as well as other progressive reforms.
Kudos to the organizing and persistence of Indigenous activists who refuse to stand down in these never-ending battles.
