Supreme Court Upholds Indian Child Welfare and Adoption Law

The US Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act, a law enacted 45 years ago to remedy past government abuse, by a 7-2 vote. The law established three preferences for the placement of Native children when they are adopted or put in foster care. The court's decision left one important question unresolved--whether the statute's system of preferences for Native adoptive parents amounts to an unconstitutional racial preference. Dissenting from Thursday's ruling were Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.