The state codification of the ICWA comes as the state of Texas and non-Native adoptive families mount their challenge to the federal law in the high court. They say the law amounts to unconstitutional racial discrimination, while supporters and Indigenous activists warn that overturning ICWA could widely threaten tribal sovereignty.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairman Charles Martin and Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill in a joint statement Thursday called Wyoming’s codification of ICWA “the latest evidence of ICWA’s overwhelming, bipartisan support.” “From the most conservative states to the most progressive, legislatures and leaders across the country are moving to enshrine the principles of ICWA in their state laws because it works. It works for tribes, it works for families, and above all, it works for children,” the leaders, whose tribes are defending the ICWA in the Supreme Court, said.