The Indian Child Welfare Act Faces Its Biggest Challenge Yet

Season 2 of the podcast "This Land" follows Brackeen v. Haaland — and the impact of ICWA — as it moves through the courts.

The Indian Child Welfare Act was signed into law following decades of U.S. policies aimed at forcibly assimilating Native children — including sending them to boarding schools.

Now, it's facing its most significant challenge yet: Brackeen v. Haaland. The case could be taken up by the Supreme Court this term.

The Associated Press reports the 1978 law has long been championed by Native American leaders as a means of preserving Native American families and culture. An Interior Department lawyer last year said in arguments that Congress passed the law after finding that adoption standards at the state level were breaking up American Indian families.

The second season of the podcast "This Land" follows Brackeen v. Haaland — and the impact of ICWA — as it moves through the courts.

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