I felt compelled to write today after reading a recent commentary by the Louisiana solicitor general criticizing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). It is absurd and illogical to compare the placement of an Indian child with a tribal family to sending a child off to live in a foreign country. This is not the type of comparison we would expect from someone who specialized in legally representing the interests of Native American children. We are also shocked that it’s necessary to correct the record and remind folks that ICWA is federal law; as such, state courts must follow and adhere to it. It’s troubling to see a state solicitor general who has taken an oath of office brazenly mischaracterize, undermine and politically attack a law she is sworn to uphold.
