- Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
- American Indian Law and Policy
- Antitrust and Trade Regulation
- Appellate Advocacy and Guidance
- Business Litigation
- Civil Rights and Police Misconduct
- Class Action Litigation
- Commercial/Project Finance and Real Estate
- Corporate Governance and Special Situations
- Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy
- Domestic and International Arbitration
- Entertainment and Media Litigation
- Health Care Litigation
- Insurance and Catastrophic Loss
- Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation
- Mass Tort Attorneys
- Medical Malpractice Attorneys
- Personal Injury Attorneys
- Telecommunications Litigation and Arbitration
- Wealth Planning, Administration, and Fiduciary Disputes
Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
Ediscovery, Applied Science and Economics, and Litigation Support Solutions
-
August 19, 2024Four Partners Named to IAM Strategy 300 List of Leading IP Strategists
-
August 19, 2024Philip Sieff Named Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year By Minnesota Association For Justice
-
August 15, 2024Michael Geibelson Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers Guide
-
September 13, 2024LGBTQ Legal Services: Transgender Name Change Clinic
-
September 16, 2024Understanding Trusts Seminar
-
September 17, 2024Hot Torts:
-
August 2024Recruiting & Retaining Diverse Attorneys: Building an Inclusive Legal Profession
-
August 22, 2024Prior Art Takeaways From Fed. Circ. Public Disclosure Ruling
-
August 13, 2024Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
-
September 16, 2022Uber Company Systems Compromised by Widespread Cyber Hack
-
September 15, 2022US Averts Rail Workers Strike With Last-Minute Tentative Deal
-
September 14, 2022Hotter-Than-Expected August Inflation Prompts Massive Wall Street Selloff
Find additional firm contact information for press inquiries.
Find resources to help navigate legal and business complexities.
Robins Kaplan LLP Secures Repeal of a “One-of-a-Kind” Federal Injunction Against Oglala Sioux Tribe Industrial Hemp Farmer
March 30, 2016
Minneapolis, MN – March 30, 2016 – National law firm Robins Kaplan LLP® announced today that the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota has lifted an 11-year-old injunction that prevented Oglala Sioux Tribe industrial hemp famer Alex White Plume from exploring the legal farming of industrial hemp. The injunction against Mr. White Plume was the only one of its kind in the United States.
Located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, White Plume’s farm is subject to the Oglala Sioux Tribe Ordinances and the 2014 Farm Bill, both of which allow for the legal farming of non-drug industrial hemp.
“Today’s ruling brings some justice to Native America’s first modern day hemp farmer,” said Tim Purdon, partner at Robins Kaplan and co-chair of the firm’s American Indian Law and Policy Group and Government and Internal Investigations Group, who secured today’s motion and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota. “The 2014 Farm Bill changed the hemp farming laws for all Americans, but it took this order to put hemp pioneer Alex White Plume on equal footing. This is a victory for Alex, but also for tribal sovereignty,” he added.
Non-drug industrial hemp was legalized by the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 1998. In 2014, Congress passed the Farm Bill recognizing a distinction between marijuana and industrial hemp that created an exception to the Controlled Substance Act to allow for growth, cultivation, and the study of industrial hemp in certain limited circumstances. The 2004 permanent injunction by the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota had prevented White Plume from growing non-drug industrial hemp on his family’s land.
“We continue to urge the Department of Justice to allow America’s sovereign Tribes to explore Industrial Hemp farming under the 2014 Farm Bill in the same way the states have been allowed to,” added Purdon, who served as United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota from August 2010 to March 2015.
Robins Kaplan attorney Michael Reif also represented White Plume in this matter.
Related Professionals
Timothy Q. Purdon
Partner
Chair, American Indian Law and Policy Group;
Co-Chair, Government and Internal Investigations Group
Michael D. Reif
Partner
Related Publications
Related News
If you are interested in having us represent you, you should call us so we can determine whether the matter is one for which we are willing or able to accept professional responsibility. We will not make this determination by e-mail communication. The telephone numbers and addresses for our offices are listed on this page. We reserve the right to decline any representation. We may be required to decline representation if it would create a conflict of interest with our other clients.
By accepting these terms, you are confirming that you have read and understood this important notice.