Why It Matters
Tejon Indian Tribe engaged Jenner & Block LLP as a lobbying firm. The firm registered the tribe as a new client on August 14, marking the tribe's entry into federal lobbying. On November 17, 2022, the Federal Register published the final agency determination by the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to acquire 320.04 acres in trust for the Tejon Indian Tribe at the Mettler Site in Kern County, California, specifically for gaming purposes.
By the Numbers
Jenner & Block LLP currently represents multiple tribal clients, having filed reports for Santo Domingo Pueblo, N.M., Northern Arapaho Tribe, Ak-Chin Indian Community, and Yurok Tribe in the second quarter of 2026 alone. The firm has generated substantial revenue from tribal representation, receiving $350,000 from the Ak-Chin Indian Community across four filings and $80,000 from the Yurok Tribe over the same period.
Broader Context
In Carcieri v. Salazar, the Supreme Court held in 2009 that the federal government could not take land into trust for tribes that were not under federal jurisdiction when the Indian Reorganization Act was enacted in 1934. In November 2022, the Federal Register published a final agency determination to acquire 320.04 acres in trust for the Tejon Indian Tribe at the Mettler Site in Kern County, California, specifically for gaming purposes.
The filing disclosed the issues they are lobbying on include clean air and water quality, Indian/Native American affairs, and natural resources.
The Bottom Line
Craig Williams Jr., a Special Counsel at Jenner & Block LLP, is listed as the lobbyist for the Tejon Indian Tribe. Williams previously worked as staff to Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM-1).
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