Bozho Jayek,
Despite the challenges of the last year, I wanted to pause and reflect on what a remarkable time we are living in. We witnessed the historic confirmation and swearing in of the first Indigenous Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland. We’ve seen the rise of Indigenous playwrights, poets, activists, fashion designers, health professionals and models, now prominent on the international stage. Indigenous representation at the United Nations is growing. Visionaries are pushing for human rights standards for Indigenous peoples. And Native governments are leading the way -- from vaccinations to climate change to repatriation to restorative justice to philanthropy.
Here at NNLPC, we are working through our Tribal Legal Development Clinic, teaching, and community engagement to collaborate with Native Nations to do our part to see a brighter future for the next Seven Generations to come. We are excited to host the remainder of the Spring Speaker Series in April. Though we are bracing for the departure of our incredible NALSA Class of 2021, we are delighted for what we know these legal warriors will bring to Indian Country.
As we move into summer, stay tuned for our summer events.
Chi-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 working this semester with the California Tribal Families Coalition, a coalition devoted to the health, safety, and welfare of tribal children and families which are considered to be inherent tribal governmental functions that are at the core of tribal sovereignty and tribal governance. Clinic students are currently researching how state child welfare law intersects with tribal law regarding customary adoption and artificial reproductive technology, all with the eye towards uplifting compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act
|
|
Our faculty and students at NNLPC have had an eventful month. Here are some highlights:
-
TLDC Director Professor Lauren van Schilfgaarde was a speaker at the UNM School of Law's NALSA virtual symposium on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
-
Our NNLPC Director, Professor Angela R. Riley was quoted in this Bloomburg Law article about progressive judicial appointments Read more HERE.
-
NALSA students joined the UCLA Semel Healthy Campus Initiative for an interactive workshop presentation on the topic of Indigenous health and wellness led by Well For Culture, an Indigenous wellness initiative founded by Chelsey Luger (Lakota, Ojibwe) and Thosh Collins (Onk-Akimel O’odham, Wa-Zha-Zhi, Haudenosaunee).
|
|
Strengthened Bonds: Abolishing the Child Welfare System and Re-Envisioning Child Well-Being |
Professor Lauren van Schilfgaarde will be a speaker at this conference at Columbia Law School's Columbia Journal of Race and Law.
March 25, 6pm to 8pm Eastern
March 26, 11am to 6pm Eastern
March 27, 11am to 5:30 pm Eastern
|
|
|
|
|
NNLPC is thrilled to work with the California Indian Law Association on their Pathway to Law program, a two-day workshop that guided participants through the law school application process and paired them with an attorney mentor.
Our TLDC Director Lauren van Schilfgaarde and 3L Student Ryann Garcia were both speakers during this program.
|
|
Launch Event!
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:
Tribal Implementation Toolkit
|
Monday, April 12, 2021
12:15- 1:30pm PDT
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a standard-setting document that recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have rights to self-determination, equality, property, culture, religious freedom, health, and economic well-being, among many others. It calls on States to undertake legal reform that will remedy past violations and ensure current protections for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The "Tribal Implementation Toolkit," produced in collaboration between the Native American Rights Fund, the University of Colorado Law School, and UCLA Law's Tribal Legal Development Clinic, considers how tribes can support and implement the Declaration through tribal lawmaking.
Join Colorado Law, UCLA Law and NARF for a discussion on realizing the promises of the Declaration in the United States through tribal law and programs.
|
|
United States v. Cooley: Threats to Tribal Police Power
and Native Governance
On March 23rd the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in US v. Cooley, a case addressing the scope of tribal police officers' power to temporarily detain and search non-Indians traveling through the reservation and suspected of violating state or federal law. Watch this lively and gripping conversation with a remarkable panel of Indian country lawyers involved in the case as they discuss the legal and practical implications of Cooley's outcome for public safety on reservations.
|
|
McGirt v. Oklahoma:
Reflections on a Landmark Case and What We've Learned So Far
The groundbreaking case of McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) altered the landscape of criminal jurisdiction within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation. Watch this provocative conversation with the legal pioneers working on the front lines for more than six months now and hear their reflections on both successes and on-going challenges.
|
|
Now Hiring! 1L and 2L Student Summer Positions |
UCLA School of Law Native Nations Law and Policy Center’s Tribal Legal Development Clinic is now accepting applications for law student summer positions for the summer of 2021.
UCLA School of Law’s Native Nations Law & Policy Center is a national resource for the support of Native Nations. The Center works to enhance Indian nations’ laws and governmental institutions while advancing cultural resource protection. The Center harnesses UCLA Law’s formidable academic resources and knowledge of tribal leaders to address important public policy issues.
Summer RAs work on issues relating to tribal legal infrastructure research projects. Anticipated subject matters will include family law, alternative dispute resolutions, international and human rights law, and cultural resource protection. Students will be asked to conduct legal research, draft white papers, draft proposed tribal, state, and national legislation, and develop legal models.
Candidates should be 1Ls or 2Ls with a demonstrated interest in Indian Law.
Please submit applications by email to Heather Morphew ( morphew@law.ucla.edu) and include: (1) a cover letter discussing qualifications and interests, (2) a resume, and (3) a transcript of studies in law school.
Applications should be received by 5pm on Friday, April 2, and will be considered on a rolling basis and thereafter until the positions are filled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
