Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Monday, October 12, 2026
Courthouse News Service
Monday, October 12, 2026 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Ninth Circuit sides against Chinook recognition

SEATTLE — In a brief memorandum, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the Chinook Indian Nation’s bid to be federally recognized as a native tribe. The appellate court held that the nation’s “argument is premised on a misinterpretation of the List Act.”

Read the ruling here.

Read our coverage of the oral arguments in this lawsuit here.

Categories / Appeals, Briefs, Tribal Issues

Subscribe to our free newsletters

Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.