U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation, the Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Crow Tribe have endorsed Judge Neil Gorsuch to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fort Peck: “While no good judge can tell you how he would rule on a matter before he has had a case presentation to him, we believe that Judge Gorsuch is well qualified and has an understanding of Federal Indian law that will Tribes and the United States well if he is confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice.”
Fort Belknap: “In sum, while we do not expect that Judge Gorsuch will agree with tribal interests on every issue, we also believe that he is immensely well qualified and we are confident that Judge Gorsuch is a mainstream, commonsense Westerner who will rule fairly on Indian Country matters. We endorse his confirmation to serve. We greatly appreciate your time and consideration.”
Crow Tribe: “The Crow Tribe is providing its support for Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation in consideration of his impressive judiciary record which reveals him to be a fair and impartial decision maker. Importantly, Judge Gorsuch’s record includes a great number of decisions involving Tribal governments, tribal people and tribal interests, and he has consistently demonstrated not only a sound understanding of Federal Indian Law principles, but a respect for our unique and closely held cultural values.”
In February, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana endorsed Judge Gorsuch.
Click HERE to download Fort Peck’s full endorsement sent by Chairman Floyd Azure.
Click HERE to download Fort Belknap’s full endorsement sent by Chairman Mark Azure.
Click HERE to download the Crow Tribe’s full endorsement sent by Chairman AJ Not Afraid.
Under questioning in his confirmation hearing last week, Judge Gorsuch reiterated the sovereign status of tribal nations and reinforced his record history in upholding tribal treaty rights.
On March 24, 2017, the National Congress of American Indians, the largest and oldest organization representing Indian tribes, and the Native American Rights Fund jointly endorsed Judge Gorsuch stating, “[Judge Gorsuch] has significant experience with cases involving the interested of Indian tribes and Indian people. His opinions recognize Tribes as sovereign governments, and address issues of significance to Tribes . . . ”
On March 15, 2017, Daines spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of confirming Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
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