Justice Department Announces Tribal Resources Section as New Name for Indian Resources Section in the Environment and Natural Resources Division

The Justice Department has renamed the Indian Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division to the Tribal Resources Section. The new name better reflects the nature of the section’s work because it typically works with representatives of tribal governments rather than individual members of tribes.

The Section was originally established in 1975 by Attorney General Edward H. Levi to focus the federal government’s efforts in protecting Tribal sovereignty. The Tribal Resources Section will continue that work, including by protecting almost 60 million acres of lands held in trust for Tribes and individual Indian lands, as well as the rights and resources associated with those lands.

The Section also defends challenges to decisions made by the Secretary of the Interior on behalf of Tribes. This litigation often involves complex historical disputes, some of which date back to the early days of the United States.