The outcome of a ruling in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court could impact whether certain Alaska Native groups have access to a wide range of federal funds, including pandemic relief.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the cases on Jan. 8, which test whether Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) may claim a portion of the $8 billion Congress reserved for tribal governments to help with pandemic-related expenses under Title V of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136). These for-profit entities act on behalf of native villages or promote the welfare of Alaska natives within different ...