Legal Definitions - ICWA

Definition: ICWA stands for Indian Child Welfare Act. It is a law that was passed in 1978 to protect the best interests of Native American children and to promote the stability and security of Native American families.

For example, if a Native American child is removed from their home by child protective services, ICWA requires that the child be placed with a Native American family or tribe whenever possible. This is because the law recognizes the importance of preserving the child's cultural identity and connection to their community.

The abbreviation "ID" or "id" is also used in legal citations to refer to the same source that was cited previously. For instance, if a court case is cited as "Smith v. Jones, 123 U.S. 456 (2019)," the subsequent citation may use "id." instead of repeating the entire citation, like this: "id. at 459."