Supreme Court Declines Review of Tenth Circuit Case Holding Tribal Acquisition of an Interest in an Allotment Defeats Eminent Domain Authority
The Supreme Court recently denied a petition to review the Tenth Circuit’s opinion in Public Service Company of New Mexico v. Barboan1. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district’s court ruling that tribal ownership of a fractional interest in an “allotment,” land the…
Native American Law Watch Summer 2018
Current Law Watch Articles: Supreme Court Ducks Addressing “Immovable Property” Exception to Tribal Sovereign Immunity As Chief Justice Roberts put it in his concurring opinion in Upper Skagit Indian Tribe v. Lundgren, “There should be a means of resolving a mundane dispute…
Modrall Sperling Receives Special Award for Pro Bono Service
Susan Miller Bisong, a shareholder at Modrall Sperling, accepted the Volunteer Attorney Program’s Special Award at this year’s Volunteer Attorney Appreciation Luncheon. The firm was honored for its ongoing commitment to providing no- and low-cost legal services to citizens across the area,…
Supreme Court Ducks Addressing “Immovable Property” Exception to Tribal Sovereign Immunity
As Chief Justice Roberts put it in his concurring opinion in Upper Skagit Indian Tribe v. Lundgren, “There should be a means of resolving a mundane dispute over property ownership, even when one of the parties to the dispute—involving non-trust, non-reservation land—is…
Update on Dakota Access Pipeline Litigation
The Dakota Access Pipeline litigation was originally brought by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in 2016, quickly joined by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, to challenge construction of the Dakota Access pipeline (“DAPL”), and specifically DAPL’s crossing of the Missouri River at…
Religious Freedom v. The Blaine Amendment: Current Challenges to a Discriminatory Remnant of the Nineteenth Century
By R. E. Thompson – Modrall Sperling and Eric Baxter – Becket Fund for Religious Liberty View as PDF Introduction The two religious freedom provisions of the First…
Chambers USA 2018 Legal Rankings
The 2018 rankings from Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognize Modrall Sperling and 16 of its attorneys for excellence in ten Chambers-designated areas. The firm received national accolades for its Native American practice with three attorneys nationally ranked in this…
Super Lawyers Names 32 Modrall Sperling Attorneys to 2018 List; Four Named Top 25 New Mexico Super Lawyers
Super Lawyers has announced that 32 Modrall Sperling attorneys were named to their 2018 list, four of whom being named to the listing of Top 25 New Mexico Super…
Tomas Garcia Named Top Lawyer Under 40 by HNBA
Tomas Garcia, an associate with Modrall Sperling, has been named to the Hispanic National Bar Association’s “Top Lawyers Under 40” list. The award celebrates the accomplishments and contributions…
Modrall Sperling Attorneys Honored by State Bar
R. E. Thompson, honored for 50 years of service, is flanked by Chief Justice Judith Nakamura and State Bar President Wesley O. Pool. The State Bar of New…
