SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
Chapter: “Social Dominance Theory and the Supreme Court’s Federal Indian Law Jurisprudence” 
This chapter is part of a book bringing together a diverse set of scholars applying the lens of social dominance theory to the work of the Supreme Court. Social dominance theory examines the ways in which institutions reinforce and strengthen, or attenuate and reorder hierarchies. The book project applies this scholarly tool to evaluate the U.S. Supreme Court’s hierarchy reinforcing (and attenuating) decisions in the context of White supremacy. There are chapters looking at cases adjudicating the rights of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American litigants. My chapter assesses the ways in which the Supreme Court’s Federal Indian law jurisprudence reflects (or upends) the narrative of White supremacy and colonialism.

Bio: Michalyn Steele is the BYU Marion G. Romney Professor of Law. Steele teaches Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, Federal Indian Law, and Law and Leadership. After beginning her legal career with Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, a highly regarded D.C. firm specializing in the representation of Indian tribes, Professor Steele worked for six years as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division's Housing and Civil Enforcement section, where her work was honored with multiple Division awards. Beginning in late 2009, Professor Steele worked as a Counselor to the Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs, Larry Echo Hawk. Professor Steele holds a B.A. ('92) and an M.A. ('94) in Humanities from BYU, with an emphasis in English literature and Native American studies. Faculty profile.