Rebecca Tsosie has received the highest faculty honor at Arizona State University, as a 2012 Regents’ Professor. Tsosie is a professor of law and the Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar in ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Additionally, she is an affiliate professor in the American Indian Studies Program and a faculty fellow in the Center for the Study of Law, Science and Technology.
Category Archives: Students
Leeds discusses sovereignty in Canby Lecture
Leeds discusses sovereignty in Canby Lecture
02/01/2013
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| Stacy L. Leeds |
Stacy L. Leeds, Dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, explored how foundational principles of tribal sovereignty have developed domestically and how those principles may evolve in the future, in the Sixth Annual William C. Canby Jr. Lecture, “Whose Sovereignty? Tribal Citizenship, Federal Indian Law, and Globalization.”
The Lecture, named for Canby, a founding faculty member and judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was held on Jan. 24 in the Great Hall of Armstrong Hall.
Leeds said that in many historical cases, international law played a role in redefining tribal sovereign status in the United States, including issues of internal and external government accountability, interaction with other nations, and enforcement of tribal rights.
“Indian law relied on international customary law for its origin and involves the interpretation of treaties between two sovereigns,” Leeds said. “But it is still considered a matter of domestic federal law only.”
For a period of about 175 years, beginning in the early 1830s, the domestic Indian law discussion was silent, according to Leeds. Then in 2010, President Obama announced support for the United Nations’ Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“We were told Indian law was somehow different because the United States would never bind itself or even make reference to international law or norms,” Leeds said.
For years, the U.S. government has refused to recognize tribal sovereign powers while simultaneously endorsing and supporting similar powers in newly created sovereigns around the globe, Leeds said. However, she noted, we are starting to see positive change as international law plays a greater role within the United States.
“Tribes were always considered pre-constitutional or extra-constitutional, yet Congress is somehow allowed to exercise preliminary authority to legislate limitations on internal tribal government powers,” Leeds said.
According to Leeds, there are potential allies and advocates all over the world who want to see tribal sovereignty and, in particular, tribal courts recognized on par with other sovereigns. However, she said, the biggest obstacle might be whether tribes are willing to play by the same international rules if granted international statue.
“Enhanced global recognition of tribal government stature is finally being realized to some extent,” Leeds said in an earlier interview. “But it will necessarily open tribes up to more internal and external scrutiny, and communities have to be ready for that.”
Professor Myles Lynk, Faculty Fellow for the Center for Law, Science and Innovation, in introducing Leeds, said that the subject of her lecture could not be more timely or important.
“The subject of tribal citizenship was a deciding issue in a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” Lynk said.
Robert Clinton, Foundation Professor of Law, said Leeds has been a pioneer as a Native American scholar and author, and her contributions to the field of Indian law are widely respected.
“Stacy has long been a leader in education and tribal government,” Clinton said. “At a time when the Cherokee Freedman controversy was heating up at the Cherokee Nation, her courageous opinion for the Cherokee Nation’s Supreme Court was widely heralded, although controversial.”
Before arriving at the University of Arkansas, Leeds was Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Kansas School of Law and director of the Northern Plains Indian Law Center at the University of North Dakota School of Law. She has taught law at the University of Kansas, the University of North Dakota and the University of Wisconsin School of Law.
Leeds was the first woman and youngest person to serve as a justice on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court. She teaches, writes and consults in the areas of American Indian law, property, energy and natural resources, economic development, judicial administration and higher education.
As part of the larger discussion, Leeds touched briefly on the Cherokee Freedman Controversy, a political and tribal dispute between the Cherokee Nation and descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen regarding tribal citizenship.
Webcast Archive at: online.law.asu.edu/events/2013/canby
Distinguished professor and executive director hired for Indian Legal Program
Distinguished professor and executive director hired for Indian Legal Program
01/31/2013
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| Robert Miller |
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| Gregory Hill |
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| Douglas Sylvester |
The College of Law has hired Robert J. Miller, one of the nation’s leading scholars in Indian Law, and Gregory L. Hill, who will serve as Executive Director of the Indian Legal Program.
“We consider our Indian Legal Program the nation’s leading organization devoted to improving the legal systems that affect tribal governments,” said Dean Douglas Sylvester. “The addition of Bob and Greg underscores our commitment not only to providing unique opportunities and experiences to students that relate to Indian law, but also to furthering the Program’s other key objectives, including maintaining and expanding our close relationships with American Indian nations and other native governments and organizations.”
Miller will join the faculty in the fall of 2013. As a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., since 1999, Miller has taught various courses, including Federal Indian Law, American Indians and International Law and Civil Procedure.
He worked at the Stoel Rives law firm from 1992-1995 and practiced Indian law with Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker from 1995-1999. An enrolled citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Miller is Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Grand Ronde Tribe and sits as a judge for other tribes.
He is the author of two books, “Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny” and “Reservation Capitalism: Economic Development in Indian Country.” He is also co-author of “Discovering Indigenous Lands: The Doctrine of Discovery in the English Colonies.”
“I am very excited about joining the College of Law and its outstanding Indian Legal Program,” Miller said. “I am looking forward to working with the ASU students, faculty and staff and to enjoying many rewarding intellectual and professional experiences at the College.”
Hill, a practicing attorney for 18 years, has held various leadership positions in the legal profession since 1995. A member of the Oneida Nation, Six Nations of Indians, he most recently served as a capital attorney in the Office of the Public Defender in Tampa, Fla., where he provided legal services to indigent clients.
He is a former deputy director of Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law. Additionally, Hill served as Assistant Attorney General in the state of Florida, ran a solo legal practice earlier in his career, and clerked for the general counsel of the Seneca Nation while in law school.
“I am honored to be selected to serve as the executive director of the Indian Legal Program,” Hill said. “The chance to contribute to such a distinguished program, to help our students become better prepared for the future they will encounter, and to directly support the Indian communities will create opportunities that I am eager to pursue.”
The Indian Legal Program was established in 1988 to provide legal education and generate scholarship in the area of Indian law and to undertake public service to tribal governments. It trains students to effectively engage the representation of Native peoples and seeks to promote an understanding of the differences between the legal systems of Indian nations and those of the state and federal governments. The Program is among the most renowned of its kind, and its graduates work at all levels of tribal, state and federal government, as well as in private practice. The Program provides a unique set of academic and clinical opportunities for students and is committed to maintaining strong partnerships with American Indian nations and other native governments and organizations.
Meet and Greet with Greg Hill
ILP Alumni and Friends Mixer in Washington, D.C. / Oct 18
Please join us for an informal happy hour in Washington DC. Ten ASU students are travelling to DC next week to take a class, Federal Advocacy for the Tribal Client, with Professor Artman. We thought it might be fun to get everyone together while we are in town. We would love to see you if you can get away for a while. Details are below. Please feel free to share with friends of the program.
We will provide appetizers and one round of drinks – please join us!
If possible, a RSVP would be appreciated to Ann Marie at downes8687@msn.com or text at 949-500-4093.
DATE: Thursday, October 18th, 2012
TIME: 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: Buffalo Billiards (Dupont Circle Metro Stop)
1330 19th St NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-331-7665
http://dc.buffalobilliards.com/
Ann Marie Downes
Interim Executive Director
The Supreme Court’s Indian Law Docket in Review (CLE)
Reminder – ILP Welcome Dinner Aug 30 – RSVP’s appreciated
Reminder!
Please join us in welcoming our new students!
RSVP by Aug 23rd to Kathy Tevis kathy.tevis@asu.edu or 480-965-2922
FALL 2012 LEGAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
FALL 2012 LEGAL INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
NOTICE TO LAW STUDENTS
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
Women’s Rights Project, NY
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920, is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 500,000 members, and is dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU’s National Office in New York City seeks legal interns for the fall of 2012.
OVERVIEW
The Women’s Rights Project is part of the ACLU’s Center for Liberty, which is dedicated to the principle that we are all entitled to determine the course of our lives based on who we are and what we believe free from unreasonable government constraint and baseless stereotypes. The Center for Liberty encompasses the ACLU’s work on women’s rights, reproductive freedom, LGBT rights, and freedom of religion and belief.
Founded in 1972 by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Women’s Rights Project (WRP) has been a leader in the legal battles to ensure women’s full equality in American society. WRP is dedicated to the advancement of the rights and interests of women to lead lives of dignity free from violence and discrimination, including discrimination based on gender stereotypes.
WRP focuses on women’s rights in the following priority areas: education, violence against women and employment. Cutting across these core priorities, WRP seeks to bring an international human rights framework to our litigation and advocacy. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, WRP pushes for change and systemic reform in those institutions that perpetuate discrimination against women.
The Women’s Rights Project has overall responsibility for implementing ACLU policy in the area of gender discrimination. WRP conducts direct litigation, files amicus curiae briefs, provides support for ACLU affiliate litigation, serves as a resource for ACLU legislative work on women’s rights and seeks to advance ACLU policy goals through public education, organizing and coalition advocacy. WRP has been an active participant in virtually all of the major gender discrimination litigation in the Supreme Court, in Congressional efforts to promote gender equality, and in significant communications and public education efforts on behalf of women and girls.
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
The fall 2012 Legal Internship requires a 12-16 week commitment. The internship is part-time; weekly work hours are negotiable. Students are highly encouraged to obtain funding from outside sources, as the internship is unpaid. Arrangements can be made for work/study or course credit.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The legal interns will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside the Women’s Rights Project team. Interns will assist with all aspects of litigation. Interns will gain experience by working on the following:
- Conducting legal and policy research.
- Drafting memoranda, affidavits and briefs.
- Researching prospects for new litigation, including both factual and legal claims.
- Assisting in the preparation of expert and fact witnesses for courtroom testimony.
- Assisting with researching or drafting materials for public education.
- Other projects as assigned.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
The internship is open to law students who have completed their first year.
- Excellent research, writing and communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including internet research.
- Demonstrated initiative to see projects through to completion.
- Strong interest in social justice and legal issues.
- A strong interest and commitment to civil rights and civil liberties issues.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should send a letter of interest, a resume, the names and telephone numbers of three references, an unofficial transcript, and a legal writing sample of no more than ten pages to hrjobsWRP@aclu.org, re: WRP Fall 2012 Legal Internship/NABA in subject line or mail to:
Human Resources
Re: WRP Fall 2012 Legal Internship/NABA
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting.
We strongly encourage applicants to apply by September 7, 2012 but applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.
The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
Law Student Job Posting
Legal Intern
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Odanah, WI)
| Position Type: | Law Clerk, Legal Intern |
| Practice Area(s): | Indian/Native American |
| Geographic Preference(s): | Midwest (KY, WV, OH, IN, MI, IL, MO, IA, MN, WI) |
| Description: | Seeking Treaty Rights and Civil Rights Interns. Please see attached. |
| Desired Class Level: | 1L, 2L, 3L |
| Posting Date: | April 20, 2012 |
| Expiration Date: | May 20, 2012 |
| Contact: | Erick Arnold, |
| Resume Receipt: | E-mail, Other (see below) |
| Default email for resumes.: | attorney@badriver-nsn.gov |
| How to Apply: | Please forward resume, cover letter, writing sample and references. |
| Additional Documents: | Cover Letter, Writing Sample, Other Documents |
| ID: | 21149 |
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.