The July 25 front-page article “A defense of diversity fell to an office that lacks it” brought much-needed attention to the lack of diversity at the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). The article failed to mention, however, the OSG’s lack of Native American lawyers. Both omissions of Native Americans — from the article and from the OSG — merit correction.
Erasures such as these are a persistent problem for Native Americans; the resulting harm is particularly acute here. The United States owes treaty-based, trust obligations to Indian tribes, and federal law governs life in Indian country to a degree matched in few other areas. Federal law determines the bounds of tribal sovereignty, the scope of treaty rights and the rules that apply to individual tribal members in spheres such as child welfare, taxation and criminal law.
