Events - Event View

When the founders drafted the constitution they reserved some rights for the federal government (including most dealings with tribes), and others for the states.  Navigable bodies of water were considered vital for commerce so a complicated arrangement was established, which includes what is called the Equal Footing Doctrine.  
This all came into play when the courts had to decide if Lake Coeur d’Alene was part of the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, whether or not the Colorado River was part of the Hualapai Reservation, and what part of the Columbia River was part of the Colville Reservation.  I was involved in matters dealing with all three instances, including one that went to the Supreme Court.  I will discuss details of all these issues.

About Richard Hart
E. Richard Hart provides historical, ethnohistorical, and environmental historical services and expert testimony for North American tribes.  The former Executive Director of the Institute of the North American West, he has organized a number of influential conferences, authored/edited eleven books, published more than fifty articles and essays, and presented more than fifty professional papers here and abroad.  He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions and served as an expert witness for Native American Tribes, the United States Department of Justice, and for states.  He has received a number of distinctions and awards, and his papers form a Special Collection at the University of Utah’s Marriott Library.
Richard  went to the University of Utah and has a BA and MA in English literature.