U.S. Department of Justice — Ramah Tribal Contract Support Cost Settlement Announcement ($940 Million, 2015)

Document type: Federal agency press release (primary-source announcement)
Issuing agency: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, jointly announcing with the U.S. Department of the Interior
Original publication: September 17, 2015
DOJ release number: 15-1136
Case: Ramah Navajo Chapter v. Jewell
Original source: U.S. Department of Justice archived announcement

What this source documents

The Justice and Interior Departments announced a proposed $940 million settlement involving a nationwide class of tribal governments and entities. The longstanding dispute concerned federal contract support costs for programs administered by tribes under the Indian Self-Determination framework. At the time of the announcement the settlement still required federal court approval.

Why it is indexed here

The Ramah settlement is cited in reporting and records questions concerning Northern Cheyenne settlement proceeds and the Tribe’s later Legacy Fund decisions. This federal announcement supplies historical context for the nationwide settlement; it does not identify a Northern Cheyenne-specific allocation, establish receipt or deposit of funds, or prove how any such proceeds were subsequently spent. Those questions require separate court distribution records, tribal resolutions, account statements and transaction evidence.

Related local research

Truth in Focus — Northern Cheyenne Legacy Fund: What Was It Meant to Do, and Why Is the Council Changing It? (developing local reporting, distinct from this primary-source record).

Record Room catalog entry added October 25, 2026. Historical agency announcement; source is not a court docket, final settlement approval order, tribe-specific payment schedule, or independent audit. Original agency text remains at the official DOJ archive link.