LOBBYING AGAINST THE ODDS

In this article, the author extends his earlier research investigating the relationships among groups, courts, and political processes by starting to evaluate the widely-accepted proposition that groups that lack political power litigate through a case study of American Indian advocacy at the end of the twentieth century. American Indian advocacy is a particularly rich setting for investigating how and why groups craft advocacy strategies over time. American Indians, and especially Indian nations, have a long and rich history of engaging with the United States government. Since its formation, the United States has established legal relationships with American Indians, treating them as separate political communities or tribes. During the first century of its existence, the United States government and Indian nations entered into over 400 treaties. These treaties acknowledge the tribes' pre-existing and ongoing rights and governmental authority.