Category Archives: Information
The Legacy of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
Panel Discussion
The Legacy of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
Innovations in Federal-Tribal-State Relations
Thursday, December 6, 2012
5:00-6:00 pm
Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law-Armstrong Hall, Room 114
Followed by a reception in room 266 “Faculty Lounge”
For more information contact:
American Indian Policy Institute
(480) 965-1055 or aipi@asu.edu
Tempe Attorney Howard Shanker speaking in Natural Resources Law Seminar
Tempe Attorney Howard Shanker, who represented the Navajo Nation and others in litigation opposing the use of reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking on the San Francisco Peaks, will be speaking to Joe Feller’s Natural Resources Law Field Seminar on Thursday, May 10, at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at 2:00 p.m. in Room 110. ILP Faculty, staff, students and alum are all invited to attend.
Indian Law 101 CLE Conference
Attention ILP Alums: We would really appreciate your help spreading the word about the upcoming Indian Law 101 CLE Conference to your friends and colleagues.
______________________________________________________________________
Title: Indian Law 101 CLE Conference
Who: Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
Date: Friday, March 30, 2012; 8am-4:45 pm (Register by March 7 and save!)
Location: Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, 1100 McAllister Ave., The Great Hall, Armstrong Hall, Tempe, AZ
Registration, agenda, travel: http://conferences.asucollegeoflaw.com/indianlaw101/
Contact: Darlene Lester at darlene.lester@asu.edu / 480-965-7715.
A quick and concise survey of the issues in Federal Indian Law for everyone interested in learning more about this complex area of the law. Perfect training for tribal advocates, tribal practitioners, tribal prosecutors, tribal public defenders, court administrators, tribal council members, attorneys, law students, as well as teachers/professors and students of American Indian Studies
CLE Credits: 6.25 general credit hours may qualify for AZ and CA. NM MCLE approval pending. Topics include: History of Federal Indian Law, Indian Gaming, Civil Adjudicatory, Regulatory Jurisdiction, Tribal Courts, Taxation in Indian Country, and Criminal Jurisdiction.
10-26-11 NABA-AZ Update
Please see below for the most recent news and events.
1. NABA-AZ Board Meeting
Date: October 27, 2011
Time: 12:00 — 1:30 PM
Location: Whirlwind Golf Club
RSVP: Linda Arnold at linda.arnold@pinnaclewest.com
2. NABA-AZ Seven Generations Dinner
Thanks to everyone who made the Seven Generations Dinner a success. The Dinner raised approximately $15,000. Great job to our Event Chair Sonia Martinez and Committee: Kate Rosier, Tamara Begay, Alane Breland, Faith Klepper and Linda Arnold. A nice article was published in the Gila River Indian News. See attached article. And a nice thank you note was submitted by Honoree Bill Quinn. See attached letter.
3. Informational Briefing: UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The free informational briefing will take place on Saturday, October 29, 2011, and is meant for tribal leaders, staff, and others to learn about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: what it is, what it says, and how it may be used at the tribal, federal, and international levels to effectuate changes that will benefit and strengthen our nations, territories, and communities.
Date: October 29, 2011 (day before NCAI)
Location: Billy Frank Conference Center
721 9th Avenue, #200, Portland, Oregon
Time: 2:30 — 4:30 PM
Cost: Free
RSVP: http://www.indianlaw.org/content/informational-briefing-tribal-leaders
4. Arizona Women Lawyers’ Association Annual Convention
Date: November 4, 2011
Location: Mountain Preserve Reception Center, 1431 East Dunlap Avenue, Phoenix
Time: 11:15 AM — 4:30 PM
Cost: $125 for private lawyers/$100 for public/government lawyers
RSVP: www.awla-state.org or contact Kim Demarchi at kdemarchi@lrlaw.com
5. Access to Sacred Sites on Federal Public Lands by Melissa Tatum
Date: November 15, 2011
Location: ASU Law School, Room 114
Time: 12:15 PM
Cost: Free
RSVP: Kathy.tevis@asu.edu
INFO: http://asu.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=179130
6. DC Indian Law Conference
Date: November 15, 2011
Location: Four Points by Sheraton, 1201 K Street NW, Washington DC 20005
Time: 8:00 AM — 5:00 PM
Cost: $95 after 10/25 (includes breakfast and lunch)
CLE: 8-9 CLE Credits
Register: http://www.fedbar.org/Sections/Indian-Law-Section/Calendar/13th-Annual-DC-Indian-Law-Conference.aspx
7. Tohono O’odham Nation v. City of Glendale, CV-11-0167-P
The Arizona Supreme Court denied the petition for review filed by the City of Glendale and granted attorneys’ fees to the Tohono O’odham Nation.
http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/21/MinutesCurrent/MinPR_10252011.pdf.
Get the story: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/10/25/20111025glendale-casino-court.html.
8. Equator Prize 2012
The Equator Initiative is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2012, which will recognize 25 outstanding local initiatives that are working to advance sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. All winning initiatives will receive US $5,000, with 10 selected for “special recognition” and a total of US $20,000 each. Representatives of all winning communities will participate in Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, in Brazil in June 2012. On its 10-year anniversary, and in recognition of the new and emerging challenges that face local and indigenous communities the world over, the Equator Prize 2012 will have an expanded thematic scope and geographical eligibility.
‘Resilient Communities’
The Equator Prize 2012 will focus on local innovation and excellence in promoting community wellbeing and sustainable livelihoods, environmental conservation, and sustainable natural resource management. Eight new ‘special recognition’ categories — in areas such as community-based adaptation, food security, forest management, energy, water, and more — have been created with the overall theme of ‘resilient communities for sustainable development’.
‘A World of Innovative Local Solutions’
Geographical eligibility for the Equator Prize 2012 has been expanded to include all countries receiving support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). For a list of eligible countries, eligibility requirements and selection criteria, please click here.
How to Nominate
To nominate an initiative for the Equator Prize 2012 (or to self-nominate), visit our website: www.equatorinitiative.org.
Nomination forms must be submitted by 31 October 2011. Nominations may be completed online or sent via email, fax, or post to:
Equator Initiative
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
304 East 45th Street, Room 640
New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 212 906-5104 / Fax: +1 212 906-6642
Email: prize@equatorinitiative.org
9. On the Move
Marnie Hodakwen is now in house at the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community.
10. Jobs
A. State Bar of Arizona, Diversity and Outreach Advisor
Under minimal supervision, the Diversity and Outreach Advisor oversees and coordinates diversity efforts on behalf of the State Bar of Arizona (SBA) to attract a more diverse population to the practice of law and to promote their active involvement and leadership within the SBA and legal profession in Arizona.
Qualifications:
– JD required
– Experience working with and within diverse environments
– Demonstrated experience building successful networks with organizations and individuals which resulted in the delivery of an initiative, program or service throughout a highly diverse population.
– Experience working with volunteers, boards and elected officials
– Clear, concise written and verbal communications skills
– Highly developed presentation skills
– Demonstrated leadership skill and ability
– Excellent customer service skills
– Highly effective interpersonal skills
– Demonstrated ability to successfully market and promote programs or initiatives
– Able to work successfully either as a team player or individually
– Able to work effectively with changing priorities and environments
Salary: $63,328-$79,155
B. Staff Attorney — Legal Services, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community
SALARY: $75,644.00 – $107,794.00 Annually
OPENING DATE: 10/14/11
CLOSING DATE: 10/28/11 11:59 PM
Under general supervision of the Managing Attorney, this position will provide legal review and advice to clients of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC & Community) Legal Services Office. Guiding directive is to protect the client’s interests, legally and ethically, while working to prevent expensive legal disputes and litigation. This position may be expected to work evenings and weekends as needed and is not subject to a standard work schedule. This job class is treated as FLSA Exempt.
More Information: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/srpmic/default.cfm
C. Assistant City Attorney — City of Phoenix
Assistant City Attorneys in the Civil Division of the Law Department work in one of six areas: Public Safety; Litigation/Employment; Natural Resources; Economic Development & Finance; Land Use; and Transportation. The emphasis on this recruitment is to fill several positions in our newly created Public Safety Section, however, this recruitment process may also be used to fill vacancies that exist in any one of these sections. All attorneys in the Law Department may be reassigned based on the best interests of the City as determined by the City Attorney.
These positions will be police advisors with expanded responsibilities providing general counsel services to the Phoenix Police Department and other related public safety functions. A strong background in criminal procedure is a must for these positions, including Constitutional requirements related to criminal procedure. As general counsel for the Police Department, a background in municipal law, transactional work, grants, tort claims related to police conduct and employment law is a plus. These positions will also be responsible for providing policy guidance on public safety issues for the City of Phoenix Government Relations Office.
RECRUITMENT DATES
Recruitment may close when we have received a sufficient number of qualified applications. First review of applications will occur the week of October 31, 2011.
SALARY $76,211- $132,392 annually.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
 Graduated from an accredited school of law and admission to the State Bar of Arizona.
Please include your Arizona State Bar license number on resume or cover letter.
 Three years of experience as a practicing attorney.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online by completing the required information and attaching your cover letter and resume. Please include your legal area of specialty as well as your experience as it relates to the qualifications stated above and include your Arizona State Bar license number.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
 For other important information related to employment with the City of Phoenix, please visit: www.phoenix.gov/jobs/info.pdf
 If you need assistance applying for this job, please contact our HR Center at (602) 262-6277.
REFERENCE
Asst City Attorney III, 10130, #5797, 10/10/11, AA, Benefits Code: midmgr
D. Joint Prosecutor — South Dakota
Info attached.
E. Indian Law Resource Center Summer Clerkships
Deadline November 18, 2011
http://www.indianlaw.org/content/applications-centers-lewis-and-sidley-fellowships-due-november-18-2011
F. NARF Clerkships
Deadline October 31, 2011
Information: http://www.narf.org/contact/clerk.htm
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UN DRIP Hearing
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing next Thursday, June 9, to discuss the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The United States was one of four nations that voted against the declaration in November 2007. President Barack Obama reversed course and endorsed the policy last December. The hearing will take place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. A witness list hasn’t been posted online.
Committee Notice:
OVERSIGHT HEARING on Setting the Standard: Domestic Policy Implications of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (June 9, 2011)
ILP/NALSA Graduation
You Are Invited!
2010 ILP/NALSA Graduation Reception
Thursday, May 13, 2010
4:00 p.m.
College of Law Rotunda
The Indian Legal Program and the Native American Law Students Association
invite you to celebrate the graduation of our talented law students.
Join us for a special ceremony and reception.
RSVP to Sunny Larson by May 10th at Sunny.Larson@asu.edu.
ILP Advisory Council Member Appointed to the Bench
Governor Jan Brewer Announces Appointment of Superior Court Judges in Maricopa County
PHOENIX — Arizona Governor Jan Brewer today announced the appointment of Daniel J. Kiley and Thomas L. LeClaire to the Maricopa County Superior Court.
Dan Kiley is an attorney with the law firm Sherman & Howard, LLC, where he practices in the areas of commercial litigation, corporate, municipal and criminal defense law. He worked for the firm Mohr, Hackett, Pederson, Blakley and Randolph from 1997 to 2009 and served as an Assistant Attorney General from 1988 to 1997. He has been admitted to practice law in Arizona since 1988. He graduated from the Arizona State University College of Law in 1988 and received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1985.
“Dan has had an impressive career in public and private practice,” said Governor Brewer. “His wide breadth of legal practice experience makes him well qualified to be a superior court judge.” This appointment was made to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Cathy Holt.
Tom LeClaire is an attorney with the LeClaire Law Firm. He began practicing law in Colorado in 1981 and spent several years with the United States Navy and the Department of Justice. He has been admitted to practice law in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, the District of Columbia, as well as numerous tribal courts. He is a recognized expert in Indian law and taught criminal law and procedure at American University. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1981 and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in 1978.
“Tom’s accomplishments during his nearly three decades of practicing law are impressive and noteworthy,” said Governor Brewer. “He has given many years of service to his country and helped numerous Native American tribes with legal matters over the course of his career. Tom is truly a model of legal excellence and will be an outstanding judge.” This appointment was made to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Richard Trujillo.
“It is an honor to appoint Dan Kiley and Tom LeClaire to the Maricopa County Superior Court,” said Governor Brewer. “These are two outstanding attorneys who will serve the citizens of Maricopa County well.”
W. Richard West, Jr. to keynote Repriations at Twenty
For Immediate Release
Contact: Stephine Poston (505) 379-6172 stephposton@msn.com
Contact: Stephine Poston (505) 379-6172 stephposton@msn.com
W. Richard West, Jr. To Keynote for Arizona State University’s Annual Conference on Native American Repatriation
Expert in cultural and graves repatriation will recount experience of the National Museum of the American Indian at 3rd annual ASU law conference
Tempe, Ariz. — January 22, 2010 — Founding Director and Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Mr. W. Richard West, Jr. will provide a keynote presentation at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s annual conference — Repatriation at Twenty: A Gathering on Native Self-Determination and Human Rights.
The conference, which will be held January 28 and 29 in Tempe, Ariz., will feature experts from across the country in Native American sovereignty, repatriation and human rights. West will present a keynote lecture on January 29 about the “journey of cultural redemption” that resulted from Native American repatriation legislation passed in 1990.
“Twenty years after the watershed Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, we must remind ourselves of the tireless efforts of many at the National Museum of the American Indian to not only implement this seminal congressional act, but the impact it also had in empowering that Native cultural voice” said West, who served as the Founding Director of the National Museum of the American Indian for almost two decades. “It is an amazing story to tell, and I am especially honored to present it at this gathering.”
The two-day conference will feature other dignitaries in Native American self-determination including current director of the National Museum of the American Indian, Kevin Gover; executive director of the Arizona State University Indian Legal Program, Rebecca Tsosie; and representatives from various tribes including Gila River Indian Community, Ponca Nation, Tohono-O’odham Nation, Cherokee Nation, Oglala Lakota Nation, and San Carlos Apache, among others.
West, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and is an Of Counsel attorney at the Stetson Law Offices, P.C. in Washington, D.C. where he specializes in sacred sites protection, graves repatriation, and cultural, art, and museum concerns. West was educated at University of Redlands, Harvard (M.A.), and Stanford University (J.D.) and is licensed in Washington, D.C. and California. He is member of the Executive Council, International Council of Museums; and a member of the National Support Committee, Native American Rights Fund. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the Ford Foundation, the National Conservation System Foundation, and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
About Stetson Law Offices, P.C.
Stetson Law Offices, P.C. is a minority-owned professional corporation formed in 1997 by Catherine Baker Stetson, the former managing partner of Gover, Stetson, Williams, & West P.C. The firm provides general legal services to tribes and tribal entities in many states, representing them in administrative, legislative, and judicial proceedings, sacred site protection and cultural preservation and in tribal, state, and federal forums. More information is available at the Stetson Law Offices website, http://www.stetsonlaw.com/.
Canby Lecture Press Release
Gover addresses ‘White Man’s Indian’ in Canby Lecture
Indians, since their first encounter with Europeans, have always been more defined by others than by themselves, according to Kevin Gover, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, who will deliver the Third Annual William C. Canby Jr. lecture, “Will the White Man’s Indian Ever Die?” at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU.
“It is the human inclination to dominate that is so troublesome,” Gover said. “And defining another, well, I can’t imagine a more complete domination, at least psychologically.”
The lecture, presented by the College of Law’s Indian Legal Program, is named in honor of Judge William C. Canby Jr. of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a founding faculty member. It will start at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, in the Great Hall of Armstrong Hall on ASU’s Tempe campus. Free tickets are available at http://community.law.asu.edu/event/REPATat20.
The talk is the keynote for the conference, “Repatriation at 20: A Gathering on Native Self-Determination and Human Rights,” which will continue at the College from 8:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29.
“Kevin Gover has for many years been a distinguished faculty member in our Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and though he is currently on leave running the most visible museum and cultural center on Indian tribes in the country, we are thrilled to welcome him back for what promises to be a provocative and fascinating lecture on how collective identities are created and perpetuated in a world of power disparities among peoples,” said Dean Paul Schiff Berman.
Gover said that, when Indians aren’t excluded from American history, they are considered as an afterthought.
“Indians are too often represented as uncivilized, and that it is either inevitable or necessary that they be removed from the path of progress,” Gover said. “The vast majority of the public has been taught that the Americas were an uncivilized wilderness in 1492. But the Americas were fully occupied in 1492. There were probably as many people here as in Europe in 1492.”
Gover said that Indians are damaged by allowing others to define them, which continues to this day.
“It puts us in a box,” Gover said. “I’m stunned by the number of people who are angry when they come to the museum and see it is about Indians who are still here, rather than Indians who used to be. They think modern Indians aren’t real Indians because we’re not like we were when Columbus set foot here.”
Gover uses artists as an example.
“Any Native artist using modern media for their work is criticized,” Gover said. “People say, ‘That’s not Indian art.’ Even though it’s an Indian making a statement about Indians. The media the artist chooses to use becomes disqualifying. It’s crazy, and it’s insulting.
“It’s like saying it isn’t legitimate unless it is the same way you were doing things in 1492,” he said. “They wouldn’t ask it of anyone else. They wouldn’t say, ‘You can’t be a White man unless you’re wearing knickers and tails. It’s unique to Indians.”
Being defined by others extends to sports mascots, where Indians are “honored” for their bravery.
“Why don’t they honor us for being smart, creative, for all kinds of different things?” Gover asks. “Why choose the one? It tells us that you’re stereotyping. You can’t be Indian unless you’re brave, whatever that means. It’s ridiculous. It’s just a tiny part of what Indians were and are.”
Redefining even extends to the repatriation of items from museums.
“When any institution considers a repatriation request, they have to investigate to see if the object is what the Indian says it is,” Gover said. “Where are they going to look? The most authoritative place is the tribe itself, but instead, museums consistently look at 19th and early-20th century written ethnography, and if it conflicts, they prefer it over the contemporary Indian information.”
The problem is that the early ethnography was written by white, misguided scholars, he said.
“Many of them were very earnest scholars, but they brought the baggage of 19th-century race science, which set out to prove that all other races are inferior to the white race, and that all models of civilization started with tribes and ended up in the modern European state, which was the ultimate end of the evolutionary process.”
Gover said the overall situation is getting better, but the stereotyping and bigotry have to be confronted every time it is seen. He pointed to the criticism leveled recently at Republic National Committee Chairman Michael Steele after he used the phrase “honest injun” in an interview on Fox News.
“In the great scheme of things, you might think, ‘So what?’ ” Gover said. “But if we let that go by without challenging it, that white noise we get exposed to gets louder and louder. We need to say, ‘I don’t think you’re a racist, but what you said is offensive and you shouldn’t say it anymore.’ ”
Gover said tribes also have to start telling their own stories.
“It is powerful to see how tribes, in their own museums, are interpreting their own stories,” he said. “Things are better, but it will be the work of generations to cleanse our minds of what we have been taught over the course of our lives. I won’t live to see it.”