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No. 22-227October Term 2022Decided Jun 15, 2023

Docket 22-227October Term 2022 (2022–2023)

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin

Brian Coughlin filed for bankruptcy after taking a payday loan from a business owned by a Native American tribe, raising the issue of whether the tribe was protected from bankruptcy proceedings by sovereign immunity.

Case status

Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released Jun 15, 2023
Case Accepted
Arguments HeardApr 24, 2023
Decision ReleasedJun 15, 2023
What it's about

Brian Coughlin filed for bankruptcy after taking a payday loan from a business owned by a Native American tribe, raising the issue of whether the tribe was protected from bankruptcy proceedings by sovereign immunity. The Supreme Court held that the Bankruptcy Code unequivocally abrogates the sovereign immunity of federally recognized Indian tribes.

Question presented

Whether the tribe was protected from bankruptcy proceedings by sovereign immunity?

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit / Decision released Jun 15, 2023

Area

Decided Supreme Court case