Author: Wenona T. Singel

Singel to Discuss Brackeen in 2022-2023 ACS National Supreme Court Review

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Please join the American Constitution Society tomorrow, July 11, 2023, from 2:30 – 4:00 pm EDT for the National Supreme Court Review, which examines the most consequential cases of the 2022-2023 Term. Prof. Wenona Singel will offer commentary on Haaland v. Brackeen and discuss the decisions of this Term and their long-term effects on law and policy.

Welcome Remarks

Russ Feingold, President, American Constitution Society

Featuring

Chris Geidner, Publisher and Author, Law Dork, moderator 

Debo Adegbile, Partner and Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Practice, WilmerHale 

Ruben Garcia, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Workplace Law Program, University of Nevada, Las Vega William S. Boyd School of Law

Kelly Moser, Senior Attorney and Leader of the Clean Water Program, Southern Environmental Law Center 

Wenona Singel, Associate Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law and Director, Indigenous Law & Policy Center 

Stephen I. Vladeck, Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

The American Constitution Society is a State Bar of California approved provider. This event has been approved for 1.5 hour of California MCLE credit. 

As the nation’s leading progressive legal organization, ACS is committed to ensuring that all aspects of our events are accessible and enjoyable for all. If you require any accommodations, please contact us at info@acslaw.org.

The registration link is available here.

Michigan Governor Appoints Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Tribal Citizen Allie Maldonado to the Michigan Court of Appeals

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Judge Allie Greenleaf Maldonado will be the first Native person to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals. The historic appointment was announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer today during the annual Michigan Tribal Summit in Sault Ste. Marie. Congratulations to Judge Maldonado!!

Judge Maldonado currently serves as the Chief Judge of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Tribal Court. Prior to her service as Chief Judge, she served as assistant general counsel for LTBB from 2002-2012. Judge Maldonado also worked as a lawyer for the Indian Resources Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. Maldonado earned her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, and she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the City University of New York. She’s a nationally recognized expert on the Indian Child Welfare Act.

“I am humbled and honored to be trusted by Governor Whitmer for this appointment to the Michigan Court of Appeals,” Judge Maldonado said in a statement. “I look forward to taking all of my professional experience and diligently applying it to the work ahead of me. This is a moment of importance not just for me but for all of Indian Country, as the Governor’s wisdom in this appointment sends a message about the critical importance of the work of tribal courts. I am grateful to the Governor and her team, and I look forward to giving all of Michigan my best.”

Judge Maldonado’s appointment fills a partial term following the retirement of Judge Amy Ronayne Krause. Judge Maldonado’s term will begin January 9, 2023 and expire on January 1, 2025. If she wishes to continue to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals after that date, she would be required to run for reelection in November of 2024.

https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2022/12/06/governor-whitmer-appoints-first-tribal-citizen-michigan-court-appeals/

Kristen Carpenter Op Ed: World leaves United States behind on commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ language rights

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Read it here.

Tribal nations adapt to being at ‘ground zero’ of the climate crisis

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Originally published in Indian Country Today and republished by High Country News here.

Come work with us!

Singel

The Indigenous Law & Policy Center at MSU College of Law is hiring a new Communications Coordinator. Internal MSU applications are due Tuesday, April 20, and external applications are due Tuesday, April 27. Please share this post with anyone who may be interested.

The public job announcement on the Careers @ MSU site is available here.

MSU College of Law seeks applicants for Assistant Dean for Career Services

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Here.  Applications should be submitted by February 28, 2018.  Inquiries and nominations should be directed to Prof. Mark Totten at mark.totten@law.msu.edu or (517) 432-6935.  Page 1 of the announcement is below.

CSO announcement 1

 

 

Final Version of Fletcher & Singel’s “Indian Children and the Federal-Tribal Trust Relationship” Now Available

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Fletcher and Singel will publish “Indian Children and the Federal-Tribal Trust Relationship” in the Nebraska Law Review.

Complaint in Pawnee Nation lawsuit for Earthquake Damage caused by Wastewater Injection

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Here is the complaint filed in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Court in Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma v. Eagle Road Oil LLC, et al.

On Friday, March 3, the Pawnee Nation sued 27 companies that operate wastewater disposal wells used in fracking operations in and near Pawnee, Oklahoma.  The complaint alleges that the actions of the defendants have contributed to earthquakes and resulting damage to the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, and it includes claims based on strict liability, negligence, private nuisance, and trespass. The Tribe seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Pawnee Nation sues several oil and gas companies in Tribal Court for quake damage

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We noted last November that the Pawnee Nation sued the Dept. of Interior in federal district court to challenge the approval of federal oil and gas leases on tribal lands here.

Today, several news agencies here, here, and here report that the Pawnee Nation has sued 27 oil and gas companies in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Court for damage caused by earthquakes.  Earthquakes have been associated with wastewater injection practices used in conjunction with hydraulic fracking.  Last September, the Pawnee Nation suffered damage to historic buildings due to a 5.6 magnitude earthquake.

We’ll post a copy of the complaint as soon as it becomes available.

 

Law Students: Enter the LSAC 2017 Diversity Writing Competition to win $5000

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This year’s LSAC Diversity Writing Competition topic is “Why Pipeline Programs Targeting Students from Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds are Essential to the Future of the Legal Profession.”  Current JD candidates are invited to submit papers addressing this topic.  The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 31, 2017, and LSAC will award three $5000 prizes to the best paper submitted by a 1L, 2L, and 3L/4L.  In addition, one winner will have a chance to publish their entry in the Journal of Legal Education.

We know there are law students following Turtle Talk who could write excellent papers on this topic. LSAC’s rules for submissions are here.