Feds Settle Suit Brought by Native American Tribes Over Destruction of Sacred Site

 A settlement between several federal agencies and Native American tribes in Oregon was reached last week in a case challenging the government's destruction of a small sacred site near Mount Hood when it widened a highway.  (See prior related posting.) The 9th Circuit had dismissed the case as moot, and plaintiffs filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.  Last week the parties filed a Joint Stipulation to Dismiss (full text) in Slockish v. U.S. Department of Transportation, (Sup. Ct, Oct. 5, 2023). Under the settlement, the government is to construct a tree or plant barrier to protect the site, allow access to an existing quarry for ceremonial and cultural uses, and allow plaintiffs to rebuild a stone altar on the site. [Note that the filed stipulation appears to be erroneously dated "2022" instead of "2023". The Supreme Court docket for the case confirms that 2023 is the correct date.] Oregon Capital Chronicle  and AP report on the settlement.

8 Federal Agencies Clarify When Title VI Bars Discrimination Related to Religion

The White House announced yesterday that eight federal agencies have "clarified—for the first time in writing—that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and related forms of discrimination in federally funded programs and activities."  The agency actions are seen as part of President Biden’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.  Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act covers discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. It does not explicitly bar religious discrimination.  The agency Fact Sheets publicized by the White House each focuses on the kind of discrimination against persons of a particular religion that could come within the scope of Title VI. Here are the agencies' interpretations:

Department of Agriculture Fact Sheet; Department of Health and Human Services Fact Sheet; Department of Homeland Security Fact Sheet; Department of Housing and Urban Development Fact Sheet and Memorandum; Department of Interior Fact Sheet; Department of Labor Fact Sheet; Department of Treasury Fact Sheet; Department of Transportation Fact Sheet.