Announcements – Page 147

MICHIGAN VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY!

October 1, 2008October 1, 2008bnewland

Aanii! I want to encourage all of Michigan’s tribes to sign up as many new voters as possible in the few days remaining prior to Michigan’s voter registration deadline. We need a big push over the weekend to register new tribal voters for the upcoming Presidential election. Indian Country is going to be critical to this closely-contested election and could make the difference in Michigan.

Below is the link for a Michigan Voter Registration Application. It is a PDF file and can be filled out right on your computer. Voter applicants will then have to print out the form and sign it. I urge all of our readers – especially elected tribal officials – to forward this link on to people in your communities, and to print out copies of this application and pass them along to people you know.

www.michigan.gov/documents/MIVoterRegistration_97046_7.pdf

Voter applicants can either mail a completed form to their county clerk (who will forward the application to the appropriate township or city clerk) or turn it in, in person, to their township or city clerk.

Here are a couple of things to remember:

1.) The addresses for the different county clerks are on the instruction pages.

2.) Mailed applications must be postmarked by the registration deadline: Monday, October 6th.

3.) First time voters cannot vote absentee unless they register in person by hand-delivering their application to the Township or City Clerk.

4.) The address on the application must match the address on a Michigan driver’s license. If an applicant does not have a valid Michigan driver’s license, or Michigan ID, they can send in a copy of another acceptable form of ID with a current address. These include: Tribal ID cards; copy of paycheck stub with address; copy of utility bill; a copy of any other government-issued ID.

5.) If the applicant does not receive a voter ID card within 3 weeks, they should call their township/city clerk IMMEDIATELY. They may want to keep a copy of their application in case any dispute arises.

First Birthday!

September 27, 2008September 25, 2008ilpc2 Comments

Turtle Talk is one year old today. We’ve had more than 145,000 visits this year–thanks to all of our visitors, commenters, and contributors. We’re looking forward to another busy year.

Register to Vote in Michigan

September 24, 2008September 24, 2008bnewland

Here is the link for a Michigan Voter Registration Application. It is a PDF file and can be filled out right on the computer. Voter applicants will then have to print out the form and sign it. Please read the instructions carefully (there are only a few).

www.michigan.gov/documents/MIVoterRegistration_97046_7.pdf

Applicants can then either mail the form to their county clerk (who will forward the application to the appropriate township or city clerk) or turn it in, in person, to their township or city clerk. Addresses for each of Michigan’s 83 county clerks appear on the form’s instructions page.

Here are a couple of things to remember:

1.) Mailed applications must be postmarked by the registration deadline: Monday, October 6th.

2.) First time voters cannot vote absentee unless they register in person by hand-delivering their application to the Township or City Clerk.

3.) The address on the application must match the address on the applicant’s Michigan driver’s license. If an applicant does not have a valid Michigan driver’s license, or Michigan ID, they can send in a copy of another acceptable form of ID with a current address. These include: Tribal ID cards; copy of paycheck stub with address; copy of utility bill; a copy of any other government-issued ID.

4.) If the applicant does not receive a voter ID card within 3 weeks, they should call their township/city clerk IMMEDIATELY. They may want to keep a copy of their application in case any dispute arises.

Talk on John Voelker/Robert Traver’s “Laughing Whitefish” on Sept. 27

September 15, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher

As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Robert Traver’s Anatomy of a Murder, I will be giving a presentation on Traver’s novel, “Laughing Whitefish,” which is based on the three Michigan Supreme Court cases involving Marji Kobogum’s daughter Charlotte, aka Laughing Whitefish.

The presentation is at the Library of Michigan, on Sept. 27, 2008:

11:10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Session A: Laughing Whitefish
Forum Auditorium
John D. Voelker’s courtroom drama Laughing Whitefish tells the story of a young Chippewa woman’s struggle to collect a debt owed to her father by the Jackson Ore Company. It is based on a case that went before the Michigan Supreme Court three times in the 1880s before it was resolved. This session will discuss the book, the actual Kawbawgam case and their impact on Michigan Native Americans.

Here are the legal materials in the case:

kobogum-v-jackson-iron-1889

compo-v-jackson-iron-1883

compo-v-jackson-iron-1882

2009 Speaker Series

September 12, 2008Kate Fort

We’ve added our 2009 Speaker Series page to the blog. Speakers this year include Justin Richland, Stuart Banner and Robert Dale Parker. Click here for more information abou the speakers, their books and the tentative dates of the events.

Christopher Wetzel on the Potawatomi Nation

September 11, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher

MSU AISP is hosting a talk by Dr. Christopher Wetzel on the rebirth of the Potawatomi Nation. Here is the flyer.

The talk is on September 18.

CRT 20th Anniversary Student Writing Competition

September 10, 2008Matthew L.M. Fletcher

National Law STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION

Re-defining Critical Race Theory:
The Future of the Movement

The year 2009 marks the twentieth anniversary of the first Critical Race Theory (CRT) workshop. Twenty years ago, the founders of CRT met at a convent in Wisconsin to consider race and ethnicity and the manner in which these categories permeate every aspect of law and society. Although early CRT scholars were subjected to considerable skepticism, they bravely continued to write and speak about race, confident that their scholarship reflected an unacknowledged reality. Their scholarship entered the discourse of civil rights and constitutional law in the United States, but also influenced other doctrines, including criminal law, family law, and immigration law. CRT gave birth to other progressive, anti-subordination movements such as Latina/o Critical Theory, OutCrits, and ClassCrits. The academy has been enriched by the important contributions of CRT scholars.

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