Robert Soto

In April 2019, in response to Soto's victory in McAllen Grace Brethren Church v. Jewell, the Department of the Interior, "published a proposed rule to end the criminalization of eagle feather possession and expand existing protections for federally-recognized Native American tribes to cover members of state-recognized tribes as well".

In July 2018, Soto filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking for revision to the current legal guidelines pertaining to the religious use of federally protected bird feathers. Per the settlement agreement entered into law in 2016 following McAllen Grace Brethren Church V. Jewell, the petition was published to the government regulations website to solicit public input on the said petition. Soto's petition would implement the non-prosecution policy as a formal rule, proposes additional funding for the National Eagle Repository and increase enforcement of laws which criminalize the killing of eagles and other protected bird species.

On August 21, 2016, the Fifth Circuit held that the Department of the Interior had failed to show that a regulation preventing possession of bald and golden eagle feathers was the least restrictive means of furthering an asserted governmental interest and did not violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision and sent the case back to district court.

In 2016, the two sides reached an agreement that recognized the right of Soto and approximately 400 members of his congregation to use eagle feathers in observance of their faith. Part of the settlement also included the federal government agreeing to review the current laws concerning eagle feather possession and consider changes in its policies.

On June 13, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of Soto's favor, which resulted in the return of the feathers that were seized from him and his followers.

In addition to McAllen Grace Brethren Church, Soto was also responsible for the founding of four American Indian congregations. Three of these congregations were in Texas, one was in Florida, as well as the Son Tree Native Path. This specific ministry boasts indigenous community membership in three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Bonilla's appeal was heard by the Fifth Circuit Court in United States v. Erick Bonilla. On August 10, 2011, the Fifth Circuit ruled against Bonilla, and upheld the sentence he received from the lower court.

In 2010, Soto testified on behalf of Erick Ricardo Bonilla, a 32-year-old oilfield worker and father of six who had been living in Odessa, Texas, as an undocumented immigrant since June 2004. Bonilla was facing up to two years in prison for re-entering the United States after being deported on two separate occasions, and "voluntarily returned" to Mexico on two other occasions after trying to enter the United States through El Paso, Texas. Bonilla was originally born in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, but was also a descendant of the Lipan Apache tribal nation.

On March 11, 2006, members of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas were gathered at a pow-wow. The tribe allowed outsiders to observe the ceremony's performance. During the ceremony a stranger began asking questions about it. None of the attendees became suspicious of the questioner's behavior. It turned out the stranger was an undercover agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and he was investigating the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas for possession of eagle feathers. Upon learning of the feathers' origins, the agent confiscated them and threatened to charge Soto with fines and jail time should he continue to use eagle feathers in accordance with his faith. This FBI raid was designated Operation Powwow,