Title: Protecting the Civil Rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives - FindLaw
Headings: Protecting the Civil Rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives
Protecting the Civil Rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives
Native Americans' Civil Rights and the U.S. Government
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Native Americans' Civil Rights and Tribal Governments
Contact an Experienced Native Peoples Law Attorney

Content: FindLaw Newsletters
Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life
Learn more about FindLaw’s newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Native Americans' Civil Rights and Tribal Governments
Although the Constitution and U.S. anti-discrimination laws provide Native Americans protection against many different kinds of civil rights abuses, they were created without Native American representation and did not apply to tribal governments. Since tribal governments did not always have reliable court systems, many Native Americans were left without an effective means to enforce their own civil rights. As a result, in 1968, Congress created the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) which listed several rights that tribal governments must respect, including: Rights to speech, assembly, press, and religion,
Rights against unreasonable searches and seizures,
Rights against double jeopardy,
Freedom from self-incrimination,
Right to a speedy and public criminal trial,
Right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,
Right to equal protection of the law and due process, and
Right to a trial by jury. However, unlike with other federal civil rights laws, the Department of Justice has little authority to enforce the provisions of the ICRA over tribal governments. Consequently, tribal governments are free to make their own laws that have the practical effect of limiting these rights. Contact an Experienced Native Peoples Law Attorney
Have you been discriminated against in housing, employment, or lending? Or suffered any kind of civil rights violation?