Customer Reviews

The American Indian Law Deskbook

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Federal Indian law is a quagmire that demands useful navigational tools. In the past, Felix Cohen's "Handbook of Federal Indian Law" (particularly the 1942 ed.) was used by everyone - including Supreme Court Justices - to better understand this jurisprudence. This field of law, however, has evolved in many ways in the intervening twenty years and the "American Indian Law Deskbook" permits readers to learn about these changes in the responsibilities and exposures of the states, tribes, and federal government. Indeed, this is the second edition, and the foreword indicates that even the five-year period between editions had been eventful. The overall intent of this publication is to present relevant legal history to sustain an understanding of Indian law today.

The editors have included Tables of Cases (32 pp.), and of Statutes and Codes (9 pp.), as well as a bibliography (10 pp.). One important note must be added. Yearly supplements are a crucial part of the business of legal research, and the editors of the "American Indian Law Deskbook" realized this when they published the first edition in 1993. This practice has continued, and stand-alone yearly supplements are available for both 1999 and 2000 that update the current edition.

"American Indian Law Deskbook" augments Cohen's "Handbook." It should be considered as a core holding for those with a desire and/or a need to learn more about current federal Indian law.

This is an excellent resource in federal Indian law. It is updated annually via cumulative pocket-parts and is a thorough review of the subject. It is a great place to begin research in Indian law because it lays out the blackletter and has copious citations to the major (and sometimes less major) cases on the subject. For me, if I could have only one book on the subject, this would be it.