The Supreme Court appears likely to leave in place most of a federal law that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children. The justices heard more than three hours of arguments in a broad challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act, enacted in 1978 to address concerns that Native children were being separated from their families and, too frequently, placed in non-Native Homes. It has long been championed by tribal leaders as a means of preserving their families, traditions and cultures. But white families seeking to adopt Native children are among the challengers who say the law is impermissibly based on race, and also prevents states from considering those children’s best interests.
The new podcast “Missing Justice” examines the death of Christy Woodenthigh and the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples… the family of Christy Woodenthigh has been searching for justice since the Native American woman’s death in 2020. A new CBS News investigative podcast traces the circumstances of her death outside of her home on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in southeast Montana — and explores the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in the United States. The first two episodes of the six-part original series premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 22, with a new episode released weekly.