On the surface, a 7-2 U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the validity of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) would appear to have nothing to do with legal sports betting or other forms of gambling. But beneath that surface, the decision may prove quite relevant to a case concerning commercial operator Maverick Gaming’s challenge to a tribal monopoly over sports wagering and Class III casino gaming in Washington state.
Last month, the Supreme Court upheld a longstanding law granting Native American families priority in situations involving the adoption of foster children from various tribes. In the case, a white Texas couple, Chad and Jennifer Brackeen, who’d adopted a Native American boy and were vying to adopt his biological sister, unsuccessfully argued that the ICWA violated their right to equal protection.
