On Monday, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear a case seeking federal recognition for the Chinook Indian Nation, dealing another setback for the tribe’s long-running effort to regain recognition.

The Chinook Indian Nation has sought federal recognition for more than a century. They had been previously granted recognition in 2001, but about 18 months later, that status was rescinded.

The most recent case, which the court declined to hear, moved once again to be officially recognized.

“This is not an end, but instead a beginning of a revitalization of our efforts,” said Chairman Tony A. Johnson in an issued statement. “We remain steadfast and determined, pursuing every remaining path.”

Johnson said the tribe will now focus on calling for congressional action, saying it is the fastest path forward.

“We’ve committed to every avenue possible for restoring our recognition,” he said. “The courts are not a quick means to anything. By far, the fastest route for Chinook justice is for our delegations in Oregon and Washington to collaboratively introduce and champion restoration legislation.”

Johnson said the tribe will continue to seek recognition through administrative and political channels, including re-petitioning the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as asking for an executive order.

Federal recognition would provide access to Indian Health Service care, educational opportunities and legal protections for ancestral remains under the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, while supporting economic development and environmental stewardship in the Columbia River region, tribal leaders said.

In 2015, the tribe sued in federal court after the BIA denied access in Tacoma to ancestral land trust funds. A district court ruled in favor of the tribe on the trust funds but said it lacked authority to grant recognition. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision in 2025.

Most recently, the tribe petitioned the Supreme Court in September 2025.

Tribal leaders said their efforts to regain recognition are ongoing.

For Johnson, the fight has also been deeply personal, following years of advocacy by his family and tribal leadership.

“This is incredibly frustrating work,” he said. “The older I get, the more I think about all the other things I could have done with the time we have in life. But I’m not doing this work for me.

“Until Chinook achieves restoration and is properly seated as the federally recognized tribe at the mouth of the Columbia River, this is what we have to do.”

Johnson also called on supporters in Oregon and Washington to pressure lawmakers to act.

“We need our delegation members to recognize that when they take the roles of representative or senator, they are inheriting the history of the United States. It is not a separate issue, the history and their roles. They represent the same United States that refused to let us stay in our territory and our status properly acknowledged from the beginning,” Johnson said. “They represent the crimes that have happened against Chinook and I do not for the life of me understand why they do not feel obligated to fix the thing that they represent.

“They choose to leave (it) as some historical issue; it is not. It is real today and it has real world ramifications,” he said. “These delegation members need to understand that they are representatives of the government that has caused this harm and they need to fix it.”

The Chinook Indian Nation represents five Chinookan-speaking tribes at the mouth of the Columbia River: the Clatsop and Cathlamet in present-day Oregon, and the Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa in Washington. Local governments, neighboring tribes and thousands of supporters nationwide have backed restoration of federal recognition.

The high court denied review of the tribe’s petition under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, which the Chinook argued would allow courts to reaffirm recognition when it has been previously granted and later revoked.