News

Nonprofit Quarterly Article on French Auction of Native Artifacts

June 6, 2016Sarah M Donnelly

Link to “Native Americans Protest Sale of Artifacts” by Alexis Buchanan here.

Excerpt:

Perhaps auction houses would not be so unwavering in the sale of these items if they did not fetch such high prices. The Guardian reports that France has a long history, tied to its colonial past in Africa, of collecting and selling tribal artifacts. The Paris-based “Indianist” movement in the 1960s celebrated indigenous cultures, and interest in tribal art in Paris was revived in the early 2000s following the highly lucrative sales in Paris of tribal art owned by late collectors André Breton and Robert Lebel. As such, many of these items have high value. The Hopi Tutuveni reported that in April 2013, the Néret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou auction house in Paris generated $1.2 million as 70 Hopi religious objects went for an average of $17,143, with one object created around 1880 fetching $209,000. In Monday’s protested sale, Yahoo News reported that twelve sacred Kachina masks went under the hammer for 116,000 euros ($129,000)—with the most precious, the Crow Mother, going for 38,000 euros ($42,300)—about a third less than expected, but still a high value.

NYTimes: Trump Could Threaten U.S. Rule of Law, Scholars Say

June 3, 2016Sarah M Donnelly

Link to article by Adam Liptak here.

Scholars across the political spectrum say Donald Trump has shown contempt for the First Amendment, separation of powers, and the rule of law. The article compares him to Andrew Jackson after Worcester v. Georgia.

NAICJA Joins Forces with NCJFCJ

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016Victoria Sweet

Link to Announcement: here

Boulder, CO: The National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) is pleased to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been memorialized establishing a working relationship between NAICJA and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). Importantly, the MOU provides for joint membership in the two organizations, allowing NAICJA members access to the resources of both national judicial membership organizations.

Established in 1969, NAICJA is a non-profit corporation and the only membership association of tribal court judges and tribal court personnel in the nation. NAICJA’s current projects and goals are concerned with: advocating on behalf of tribal justice systems; securing necessary funding for tribal justice systems so they may continue to excel; providing education and training to tribal judiciaries; providing networking and mentorship opportunities for tribal judiciaries; and improving cooperation between tribal, state, and federal judiciaries.

The NCJFCJ, established in 1937, is a non-profit corporation with a primary focus on improving juvenile and family court system practice in the handling of cases involving children, families, and victims of domestic violence. As one of the oldest judicial membership organizations in the nation, the NCJFCJ is unique as a leader in providing continuing education, technical assistance, research, and policy development in the field of juvenile and family justice. Among the myriad current NCJFCJ initiatives, several align closely with NAICJA’s projects and goals and hold promise for potential application and implementation in Indian Country, including: a national network of more than 100 juvenile and family courts that develop and test promising practice; the Juvenile Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Project; the Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody; and the Family Court Enhancement Project.

Beginning on June 1, 2016, new or renewing members of the NAICJA interested in joint membership will pay a $215 fee directly to NAICJA (existing NAICJA members should contact NAICJA directly for details on upgrading to a joint membership).

NAICJA is excited to join forces with the NCJFCJ as the two organizations work to strengthen the functions and collaborative opportunities of state and tribal court systems, especially as they pertain to juvenile and family courts. NAICJA encourages its members to take advantage of the joint membership opportunity and the incredible resources available from the NCJFCJ.

Contact Information:

Justice Richard Blake

President, Board of Directors

National American Indian Court Judges Association

Email: president@naicja.org

BPhone: (303) 449-4112

News Profile of Samoan Birthright Citizenship Cases

May 30, 2016Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Mother Jones, here is “The Obama Administration Is Using Racist Court Rulings to Deny Citizenship to 55,000 People.”

HT to How Appealing.

First Lady Michelle Obama at Santa Fe Indian School Commencement

May 27, 2016Sarah M Donnelly

Link to video of her remarks here.

Link to news coverage from the Santa Fe New Mexican here.

NYTs: “A Heated Linguistic Debate: What Makes ‘Redskins’ a Slur?”

May 23, 2016Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here.

I like Sherman Alexie’s take on the Daily Show here. In short, who ever says “Great job, redskin” in a good way?

NAICJA Press Release – Judicial Independence

An excerpt:

The Board of Directors of the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA)—the only membership association of tribal court judges and tribal court personnel in the nation—is concerned by the recent reports that the Nooksack Tribe terminated a tribal court judge because of a decision she rendered in an on-going disenrollment dispute. Although the NAICJA Board takes no position on the underlying controversy, the media coverage suggests that the judge was terminated for ruling against the tribal council. If that proves correct, the action represents a clear threat to judicial independence.

Former Nooksack Judge Susan Alexander released this letter/memorandum to the media a few weeks back:

AlexanderMemo

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