Native American and Tribal Law Research

22 Tribal Nations
The Bluebook recognizes the unique legal status and sovereignty of Tribal Nations within the United States. To facilitate accurate and respectful legal scholarship and practice, this section provides guidelines for citing official materials produced by Tribal Nations. As the legal frameworks of Tribal Nations are inherently distinct and autonomous, this rule aims to provide guidance on citation practices while honoring the diversity and specificity of Tribal legal systems.

Given the variety of official documents produced by the 574 currently federally recognized Tribal Nations, this rule offers guidelines on the most common forms of existing materials. When filing documents with Tribal governments and Tribal courts that have their own citation conventions, follow Tribal citation conventions.

• For a comprehensive enumeration of federally recognized Tribal Nations, consult the following resources:Department of the Interior: https://www.bia.gov/service/tribal-leaders-directory/federally-recognized-tribes
• Federal Register: List of Federally Recognized Tribes (2024) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-01-08/pdf/2024-00109.pdf

For a list of Tribal Nations, please visit http://www.legalbluebook.com for access to table T1.5.

These rules aim to foster a legal practice and scholarship environment that is inclusive, accurate, and respectful of the legal traditions and authorities of Tribal Nations.

Some Tribal Nations are recognized by individual states rather than the federal government. For information on state-recognized Tribal Nations, consult the relevant resources provided by each state's government or tribal affairs office.

22.1 Tribal Nations with an Established Citation Format 
When citing legal materials originating from a Tribal Nation with an established and distinct citation format, the respective Tribal Nation’s format should be used as the primary citation. If using the Tribal Nation’s citation format, provide a parallel citation according to the following rules in square brackets. If the tribe does not specify its own citation method, use the format in rule 22.2

For any clarifications or specific questions regarding a particular Tribal Nation’s lawmaking process, court system or citation format, or other matters, consult the Tribal Nation or tribal court clerk.

22.2 Tribal Nations Without an Established Citation Format 

This rule offers examples for citing Constitutions, Codes, orders, and cases
Law librarians advocating for the Bluebook to add a framework for citing to Indigenous sources of law.

Table 1.5: Tribal Nations lists all 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations,

New Rule 22: Tribal Nations marks the first time in its history that the Bluebook has included the law of tribal nations, an overdue and welcome recognition. It was developed over many years by members in the law librarian community, working with over 3 sets of Bluebook editors.

Contributing parties: 

• Law Librarians for Indigenous Inclusive Citation Practices  
• AALL Native Peoples Law Caucus 
• Amber Madole, Law Librarian, Research Services, Indigenous Law and Policy, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law
• Rebecca Chapman, Senior Assistant Law Librarian, University of Buffalo School of Law
• Shay Elbaum, Faculty Research Librarian, Harvard Law School
• Rebecca Fordon, Law Librarian, Moritz Law Library; Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, University Libraries, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
• Caitlin Hunter, Reference Librarian and Lecturer in Law, UCLA School of Law
• Darla Jackson, Faculty Services & Research Librarian, University of Oklahoma College of Law
• Sherry Leysen, Reference Librarian and Lecturer in Law, UCLA School of Law
• Rachel Nelson, Law Librarian, National Indian Law Library
• Bonnie Shucha, Associate Dean for Library and Information Services, Director of Law Library, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Shania L. Kee, J.D. and M.L.I.S., University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
• Sherri Nicole Thomas, Associate Dean of Institutional Climate & Equity, Professor, University of New Mexico Law School