Tribes need own meeting laws Rapid City Journal - Online 03/31/2011 When federal officials from the Department of Health and Human Services last week ousted a Journal reporter from a meeting with tribal leaders to discuss Indian Health Services, the reason cited was tribal leaders requested the meeting be closed. It turns out, that reason doesn't necessarily pass legal muster. The line between federal and tribal law regarding public records and open meetings is a murky one, with reams of inconsistent case law. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that information requested by the U.S. Department of Interior and turned over by Indian tribes was a matter of public record. The Federal Advisory Committee Act also requires that groups providing advice to federal agencies must hold open meetings, unless certain exemptions apply. The fact that tribal leaders request a closed meeting isn't sufficient reason, in and of itself, to close such meetings. (especially when it involves health...
The History and Facts of the Freedmen vs Cherokee Nation case.