Summer 2021 NNLPC Newsletter

Summer 2021 Newsletter

Bozho,

Here at the Native Nations Law and Policy Center we are sad the summer is drawing to a close, but we are truly excited to welcome our incoming class of students and to welcome back those we’ve been separated from for so long. In the coming weeks, we will be announcing the inaugural recipients of the Graton Scholarship, which was made possible by a transformative gift from the Federated Tribes of the Graton Rancheria. In addition, our Tribal Legal Development Clinic – with the generous support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians – has continued its work on tribal legal development over the summer and is poised to take on new projects in the fall with a whole new group of students.

We are saddened to see the resurgence of COVID in the US, and we hope you are all safe and well in your communities.

Megwetch,

Angela R. Riley (Citizen Potawatomi Nation)

Professor of Law and Director, Native Nations Law and Policy Center

TRIBAL LEGAL DEVELOPMENT CLINIC SPOTLIGHT

The Tribal Legal Development Clinic is open for the summer and we welcomed 3 summer law students, Alex Ellison, Leonard Mukosi, and Alex Sampson. The law students will work under the direction of the clinic director, Lauren van Schilfgaarde on projects with the Pueblo of Isleta regarding cultural resource protection, the Quechan Indian Tribe regarding PL 280, and the Ho Chunk Supreme Court. As always, the Clinic welcomes project solicitations from tribes and tribal organizations. Inquire here!

“I Am a Native Law Student”: Diverse Perspectives Panel on the Native Law School Experience

Our alumna Ryan Garcia ('21) moderated this panel of Native Law Students who talked about their experiences and what their hopes are for a more inclusive legal education. Panelists provided perspectives of value for both incoming Native students and legal educators looking to better serve Native students. Learn more and watch a replay of the webinar HERE.

Strengthened Bonds: Abolishing the Child Welfare System and Re-Envisioning Child Well-Being

Our TLDC Director Lauren van Schilfgaarde participated in a panel at the Columbia Law School Symposium, in partnership with The Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Her panel, The Distinctive Native American Experience, highlighted tribal sovereignty, focusing on the forcible family separation of Native children from their families and communities.

Watch HERE

The Need for Confidentiality Protection within Tribal Cultural Resource Protection

The Tribal Legal Development Clinic is pleased to announce the publication of “The Need for Confidentiality Protection within Tribal Cultural Resource Protection”.

Researched and drafted as a Clinic project, this publication seeks to provide insight into the confidentiality concerns and barriers that tribes frequently encounter when attempting to protect their cultural resources. The publication then poses some potential strategies and policy fixes to address some of these barriers. This publication is available for free HERE.

New NALSA Board

Our newly elected NALSA Board is excited to get to work! The objectives of the Native American Law Students Association at UCLA are to provide a support network for Native American law students and to create a base from which work can be done for the advancement of Native peoples. In addition, the Association strives to foster better communication among Native American law students, the Native American community and the general public by providing a forum for the discussion of current Native American issues.

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