In what one lawyer called a “historic” move, 448 Indian tribes filed an amicus brief in a pair of leading opioid cases to describe what they called the “tragic and stunning” impact on their communities.
The tribes filed the brief three days before Columbus Day—what some now call Indigenous Peoples Day—and represent 78 percent of the total number of “federally recognized” tribes. They demand special recognition as sovereign governmental entities for tribal communities, where the surge in opioid abuse has disproportionately affected Native Americans.
