The Indian Legal Program will host the 2016 Navajo Nation Law CLE on Friday, October 21, 2016 at the new ASU law school located in downtown Phoenix. I hope you will save the date an join us for this event. Please consider proposing individual session or a panel for this year’s event. The planning committee would love to hear your ideas. Please share with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks in advance for your help.
June 6: 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
June 7: 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
June 8: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day)
Do you need to improve your trial skills? Our Tribal Court Trial Skills College is a robust, 3-day program designed for tribal advocates and attorneys who want to improve all facets of their trial advocacy skills.
Test your skills and gain immediate feedback from practicing trial lawyers and judges who specialize in the field of Indian Law.
The agenda is filled each day with informational lectures on Indian Law and trial advocacy, culminating in a trial simulation, where you can test your skills by participating in interviewing and preparing witnesses, opening statements, direct and cross examination, evidence and exhibits, and more.
For more information, see conference webpage: http://conferences.asucollegeoflaw.com/tribalcourt2016/
Christopher Deschene (’05) will be on campus to meet students and share information about his position as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy.
April 19 (12:15pm) in Room 114, Armstrong Hall.
Free and open to the public. Food will be reserved to those who RSVP to ILP@asu.edu. We hope you will join us!
The Indian Legal Program and the Native American Law Students Association invite you to celebrate the upcoming graduation of our talented law students. A special ceremony and reception will be held Tuesday, May 10, 6 p.m. in the Rotunda of Armstrong Hall. Everyone is welcome!
Please RSVP to ILP@asu.edu by May 3rd.
Join the NNABA Young Lawyers Committee for an engaging panel on serving as In-House and General Counsel in Indian Country Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
NNABA Program:
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Talking Stick Resort, Road Runner C
Sponsored by NNABA Young Lawyers Committee
Serving as In-House Counsel: Tales from Inside
Panelists:
Ethel Branch, Attorney General, Navajo Nation
Fatima Abbas, General Counsel, Karuk Tribe
Sarah Lawson, Tribal In-House Counsel Association
For more information, please contact Lauren van Schilfgaarde at lauren@tlpi.org
**NNABA Reception to follow, at 6PM – 8PM**
Steve Bodmer (’06) will be on campus to meet students and share information about his position as General Counsel for the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. The Pechanga Band is located near Temecula in southern California.
April 6 (12:15pm) in Room 114, Armstrong Hall.
Free and open to the public. Food will be reserved to those who RSVP to ILP@asu.edu. We hope you will join us!
Awards will be presented at the 17th Annual ILP Alumni & Friends Awards Ceremony & Reception to be held April 7, 2016 (5-7 p.m.) at Shadow Lounge, Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. We hope you will join us to celebrate their recognition!
Please send your RSVP to ILP@asu.edu by Friday, April 1, 2016.
Professor Patty Ferguson-Bohnee has released the article, The History of Indian Voting Rights in Arizona: Overcoming Decades of Voter Suppression, to SSRN.
Abstract:
Native Americans “have experienced a long history of disenfranchisement as a matter of law and of practice.” This comes from a complicated and contradictory history of laws and policy that has recognized tribes as separate sovereigns, reduced tribal status to that of domestic dependent nations, sought to remove, relocate, or assimilate tribal citizens, terminated numerous indigenous nations, and has now moved to a policy of tribal self-government. Unfortunately, the right to vote for Arizona’s first people has only recently been achieved, and there are continuing threats to the electoral franchise.
Voter suppression has been used to discourage or prevent Indian people from voting in Arizona. Voter qualifications such as literacy tests were used to prevent Indians from participating in elections for approximately fifty years. Once Native Americans started voting, redistricting and vote dilution were used to reduce the effectiveness of the Native vote.
This article will review the history of Indian voting rights in Arizona. The author begins by reviewing the history of Native American voting rights and the history of voting discrimination against Native Americans in Arizona. The Voting Rights Act turned the corner for Native people to participate in the state and federal election processes. The article then discusses the current challenges faced by Native American voters and specifically discuss the voter ID law passed in 2004. The voter ID law is a roadblock that impedes full participation by all Arizona Indians. The last part of the article focuses on strategies to protect Indian voting rights. Notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s invalidation of the Section 5 coverage formula in Shelby County, tribes should consider proactive measures to ensure that tribal citizens can participate in elections.
Happy to announce this year’s award recipients! Congratulations to Benjamin Hanley and Charles W. Galbraith for their dedication and leadership in Indian Country.
Awards will be presented at the 17th Annual ILP Alumni & Friends Awards Ceremony & Reception to be held April 7, 2016 (5-7 p.m.) at Shadow Lounge, Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. We hope you will join us to celebrate their recognition! Don’t forget to send your RSVP to ILP@asu.edu by April 1, 2016.