On January 25, 2021, Robins Kaplan LLP filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court that the firm is handling pro bono on behalf of a group of former United States Attorneys. The case, United States v. Cooley, concerns the scope of tribal law enforcement’s search and seizure authority over non-Natives on the Reservation.

“As former U.S. Attorneys who prosecuted federal crimes on Reservations, the ten amici in this brief are all deeply familiar with the jurisdictional challenges facing federal, state, and tribal law enforcement officers and prosecutors as they endeavor to fight crime in those communities,” says NAFUSA member Tim Purdon. “I am pleased to have the firm support us on this important pro bono matter which will help strengthen public safety for American Indian Tribes across the country.” Tim is joined by his partner, NAFUSA member Brendan Johnson as amici.

Robins Kaplan’s pro bono program has a long-standing commitment to representing American Indian Tribes across the U.S. The firm’s work on behalf of Tribes includes representation of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in a lawsuit against the federal government after it closed the only hospital emergency room on the Rosebud reservation and an important North Dakota Voting Rights case for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Spirit Lake Nation. This work has earned the firm recognition on the National Law Journal’s Pro Bono Hot List.

Click here to review the amicus with a list of the 10 former U.S. Attorneys involved: Robins Kaplan amicus