NBC KING5 Seattle: Sauk-Siuattle "Rights of Salmon" case filed in Tribal Court

January 13, 2022

Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe filed a 3rd lawsuit over Seattle City Light's dam placement. The Skagit Valley Sauk- Siuattle Tribe is evoking the rights of nature, to enforce the protection of salmon species. In this case, the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe asserts that the city’s dams will harm salmon by cutting off access to miles of their habitat. Salmon is a core part of the indigenous tribes’ identity, worldview, and families. Thus, deserving of such protections.

CDER’s Senior Legal Counsel, Thomas Linzey has been a strong advocate for this case, and the growing international movement to recognize natural laws, particularly within indigenous communities. Six Native American Tribes have passed laws recognizing the rights of ecosystems. The Sauk-Siuattle Tribe looks to be the next. To read more, click here.