Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-102
§1331 Approval
Title 25 › CHAPTER 15 — CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF INDIANS › SUBCHAPTER IV — EMPLOYMENT OF LEGAL COUNSEL › § 1331
Summary
If a request by an Indian, an Indian tribe, an Indian council, or any band or group of Indians for approval of a contract or agreement about hiring a lawyer — including picking the lawyer and setting the fees — is not approved or denied by the Secretary of the Interior or the Commissioner of Indian Affairs within 90 days after it is filed, the request is treated as automatically approved. This rule applies even if other laws say something different.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §1331
Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if any application made by an Indian, Indian tribe, Indian council, or any band or group of Indians under any law requiring the approval of the Secretary of the Interior or the Commissioner of Indian Affairs of contracts or agreements relating to the employment of legal counsel (including the choice of counsel and the fixing of fees) by any such Indians, tribe, council, band, or group is neither granted nor denied within ninety days following the making of such application, such approval shall be deemed to have been granted.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
25 U.S.C. § 1331
Title 25, Indians
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102