Announcements

Prime Minister Trudeau’s Mandate to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Sarah M Donnelly

Link to letter here.

“I made a personal commitment to bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa. We made a commitment to Canadians to pursue our goals with a renewed sense of collaboration. Improved partnerships with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments are essential to deliver the real, positive change that we promised Canadians. No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples. It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.”

Some top priorities:

  • “Develop, in collaboration with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and supported by the Minister of Status of Women, an approach to, and a mandate for, an inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls in Canada, including the identification of a lead Minister.
  • Work with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to address gaps in services to Aboriginal people and those with mental illness throughout the criminal justice system.”

2016 Indian Law Conference – Friday May 6, 2016 @ Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

Sarah M Donnelly

Agenda and registration previously posted here.

MAIBA Members and Friends,

Please join us at the 2016 Indian Law Conference on Friday May 6th at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.  We have an excellent program with several national speakers and cutting edge topics.  Senator Franken is invited and Professor Sarah Deer will be honored at the reception on Friday afternoon.

Our co-sponsor Minnesota CLE is handling registration.  Please find attached the brochure agenda.  You can view the same material and register by using the following link:

http://www.minncle.org/E-PromosHTML/indian2016.htm

Please share this email with others who may be interested in attending.

We hope to see you on Friday May 6th!

On behalf of the MAIBA CLE Committee,

Reid S. Raymond
Assistant Hennepin County Attorney

Washington State Bar’s 28th Annual Indian Law Section Seminar

Sarah M Donnelly

Download seminar details and registration here.

 

FHWA Request for Comments and Nominations for Negotiated Rulemaking Committee

Sarah M Donnelly

Download notice from the Federal Register here.

The Federal Highway Administration is announcing its intent to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to develop a proposed rule to carry the Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program (TTSGP) as required by Section 1121 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The FHWA will select the tribal representatives for the committee from among elected officials of tribal governments (or their designated employees with authority to act on their behalf), acting in their official capacities and whose tribes have existing Title 23 U.S.C. funding agreements with the Department. To the maximum extent possible, FHWA will consider geographical location, size, and existing transportation and selfgovernance experience, in selecting tribal committee representatives. Per the FAST Act, the committee will assist in the development of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that contains the proposed regulations needed to implement the TTSGP.

BIA Indian Highway Safety Program’s Child Safety Seat Grant

Sarah M Donnelly

2017 CPS Cover Letter

Instructions for FY 2017 CPS Applications

2017 CPS Application

Applications due May 15, 2016.

Indigenous Law & Policy Center Fellow Job Announcement

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The Indigenous Law & Policy Center welcomes applications for the 2016–2017 Fellow position.

Position Summary

The ILPC Fellowship is a flexible position that offers one new law grad each year the chance to work in a setting that is both academic and clinical in nature. Depending on the particular interests of the Fellow, there may be more time spent developing academic articles, researching and writing briefs, interacting with students and legal professionals, or attending conferences centered on Indian law.

Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are an approximate list of the duties and responsibilities of past Fellows. The Fellow chosen will have the opportunity to spend more time in areas that interest them, but may have to complete additional duties as required by the ILPC.

  1. Maintain a weekly study skills and community-building meeting with 1L students interested in the Indigenous Law & Policy Certificate.
  2. Co-teach the Indian Law Clinic class and the NNALSA Moot Court class.
  3. Act in a staff attorney capacity, researching and writing on problems of federal Indian law as they arise, especially in the ICWA Appellate Project of the Indian Law Clinic.
  4. Assist with the preparation of party and amicus briefs handled by the ILPC.
  5. Publish or work towards publishing a scholarly article, white paper, or working paper based on independent research.
  6. Help with the organization and facilitation of the annual ILPC conference.

Qualifications

  1. Recent graduate of an ABA accredited law school.
  2. Taken a course or have experience in Federal Indian Law.
  3. Commitment and availability to hold the Fellow position from July 2016–June 2017, as well as a willingness to travel occasionally to conferences.
  4. Bar passage is not required, but Fellows are encouraged to take the bar exam.

Compensation

$42,099, plus Michigan State University College of Law full time staff benefits.

Application Requirements

Please submit a cover letter outlining your interest and personal goals, a current resume and writing sample, and two references to Sarah Donnelly at donnel93@law.msu.edu via PDF attachment by May 1, 2016.

Three Day VAWA Training and Mock Trial at Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate

Sarah M Donnelly

1. Save-the-Date SWO VAWA (PDF)

2. Conference Registration – SWO VAWA Training (PDF)

3. Agenda (DRAFT) SWO VAWA (PDF)

Stanford Law School’s Production of Sliver of a Full Moon

Sarah M Donnelly

Stanford NALSA is proud to announce the upcoming performance of Sliver of a Full Moon on Tuesday, May 10th, at 6PM followed by a panel on Native American sovereignty on May 11th.

Sliver of a Full Moon, written by playwright and attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle of the Cherokee Nation, is a portrayal of justice under the rule of law – the story of a movement to restore safety and access to justice to indigenous women in the U.S. It chronicles the history of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the stories of the women it affected, featuring a cast of courageous Native women survivors who stepped forward to share their stories of abuse by non-Indians. The website can be found at http://sliverofafullmoon.org/.

There will be a reception prior to the performance, and the show will be followed by a Q&A session with the cast and survivors. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage more deeply with the details of the legal landscape at play during a lunch panel the following day, discussing VAWA reauthorization and its implications for Indian country. Panelists will include OJ Flores, Chief Prosecutor for the Pascua Yaqui, Judge Fletcher of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as a tribal judge.

Tickets to both the performance and the panel are free and simply require registration at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/gsolaz8

News Release: Interior Announces Interagency Partnership With Justice and HHS to Strengthen ICWA Implementation and Compliance

Sarah M Donnelly

Download press release here.

Excerpt:

The principal co-chairs of the ICWA Interagency Workgroup are the DOI Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the HHS Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families; and the DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. Each agency will designate a senior staff member to serve as a staff co-chair of the Workgroup.

The Workgroup will meet monthly at a staff level, with principal-level meetings at least twice a year, and will identify priorities, goals and tasks, as well as establish committees to carry out its work. It also will seek input from and conduct outreach to federally recognized tribes and other stakeholders via existing federal tribal advisory groups, stakeholder groups, tribal consultations, listening sessions, and public meetings.

Summer Law Clerk – Intern Positions Available with Navajo Nation Department of Justice

Sarah M Donnelly

The Navajo Nation Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking energetic and motivated candidates for a number of funded summer law clerk positions in the following areas of practice:

  • Natural Resources,
  • Tax and Finance,
  • Litigation,
  • Employment,
  • Human Services,
  • Government Services,
  • Economic Development,
  • Gaming,
  • Water Rights, and
  • Direct Legal Services for Navajo Relocatees.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Must be enrolled in a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Must have completed a law school course on Federal Indian Law.

(To receive full credit for education, certification, or licensure, transcripts, copies of degrees, certificates, and other appropriate documents must be submitted along with employment application.)

Externally funded candidates are also strongly encouraged to apply.

DOJ provides legal services to and litigates on behalf of the three governmental branches of the Navajo Nation government, including its chapters and entities, in matters in which the Navajo Nation government has an interest. The Attorney General also defends litigation against the Navajo Nation and supervises outside attorneys who assist the Nation with various cases.

Interested candidates should submit their cover letter, resume, transcript and a short (5-10 page) writing sample to Rodgerick Begay at rbegay@nndoj.org.  Complete application packets must be received no later than 5 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, April 22nd.

Selected candidates will also be asked to fill out a formal Navajo Nation Employee Application, which can be found at http://www.dpm.navajo-nsn.gov/jobs.html.

THE NAVAJO NATION GIVES PREFERENCE TO ELIGIBLE AND QUALIFIED APPLICANTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NAVAJO PREFERENCE IN EMPLOYMENT ACT AND VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.