Dot Lake Village v. Tanana Chiefs Conference — Court upholds intertribal organization’s sovereign immunity
The court held that TCC qualifies as an arm of its member tribes. Its analysis considered the method of creation, the organization’s purposes, tribal control, the tribes’ intent to share immunity, and the financial relationship between TCC and its members. TCC’s state-law incorporation counted against immunity, and a small number of its member communities are not federally recognized tribes. But the remaining considerations carried greater weight: tribes organized TCC as a successor to a traditional Interior governing body, every member village elects a board representative, and TCC delivers core governmental services. Member tribes also authorized TCC to provide health services under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), a federal statute that permits tribes to administer programs otherwise provided by federal agencies. That authorization supported both tribal intent and a sufficiently close financial relationship.