Press Releases
If you are a member of the media and wish to speak to a representative of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, please email media@nicwa.org or call the NICWA office at 503-222-4044.
Federal Court of Appeals to Hear Oral Arguments Today in ICWA Challenge that Would Upend Over 200 Years of Legal Precedent
(NEW ORLEANS, March 13, 2019)—Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will review the lower federal court decision in Brackeen v. Bernhardt that ignored centuries of Supreme Court precedent to strike down the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a law that protects the...
National Native Organizations Respond to Reply Briefs in Brackeen v. Bernhardt
(Portland, Ore., February 20, 2019)—In reply briefs filed yesterday with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case Brackeen v. Bernhardt, the United States and defendant tribal nations reaffirm the constitutionality of the Indian Child...
Joint Press Release from National Native Organizations on the Overwhelming Support for the Indian Child Welfare Act
(Portland, Ore., January 18, 2019)—On Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 325 tribal nations, 57 Native organizations, 21 states, 31 child welfare organizations, Indian and constitutional law scholars, and seven members of Congress joined the United States and four...
National Native Organizations Unite and Urge the President and Congress to Re-Open the Government
(Portland, Ore., January 10, 2019)—On the 20th day of the government shutdown, eight national Native organizations are jointly urging the President and Congress to immediately end the partial government shutdown, which breaks the treaty and trust obligations the...
Joint Statement on the Fifth Circuit Granting the Motion to Stay the District Court’s Decision on the Indian Child Welfare Act—The Gold Standard Remains Applicable in All 50 States
(Portland, Ore., December 4, 2018)—Statement from the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) about the Indian Child...
Joint Statement on the United States Department of Justice’s Decision to Defend the Indian Child Welfare Act
(Portland, Ore., December 3, 2018)—Statement from the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) regarding the...
