News

Nice article on David Voluck, tribal court judge in Alaska, and what inspires him to do the work he does.

Full article here.

Some excerpts from the article:

“So, there are two ‘weird’ things about David Voluck,” he continued, laughing impishly, as is his habit. “Well, probably more than two, but two really weird things. First, I’m an observant Jew, which is not commonplace in Alaska. I’m also a tribal judge, the state’s only non-Native tribal judge — at least that I know of.

Indeed, Voluck stands as one of the country’s foremost authorities on the subject of Alaska Native tribal law — an author of “Alaska Natives and American Laws 2nd and 3rd Edition,” he literally wrote the book on it (well, co-wrote). In addition to maintaining a small legal practice and an adjunct faculty position at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Voluck currently presides over the Tlingit (pronounced “Clink-get”) & Haida tribal court in southeast Alaska and the Aleut community tribal court of St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands. He has also worked with the Athabasca, Inupiat, Alutiiq and Yupik tribes and is currently helping to establish a tribal court on Kodiak Island. . . .

Raised in a Conservative “but not terribly religious” household, Voluck graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, with a B.A. in sociology of religion, before studying environmental law at Lewis and Clark Law School. He soon threw himself headlong into environmentalism.

“There I was, demonstrating, hugging trees, chaining myself to bulldozers. But I could see I didn’t have the same fire as everyone else. In other words, this wasn’t the song I was looking for.”

Then, a friend recruited him for a legal internship representing the Tlingit & Haida in Sitka. As the tribe’s legal counsel, Voluck found he’d stumbled upon the human, cultural and spiritual side of environmentalism.

“Now, I started hearing the song,” he said. “From then on, Indian law became my obsession.”

Through his burgeoning relationship with Alaska Native populations, Voluck also began sensing parallels between their culture and his own. Every day, he told me, one tribal elder in particular would visit him, “and every day, he’d say the same thing: ‘David, our culture, our language, our heritage is very important; you must help us.’” . . .

And while practicing Judaism as a traveling circuit judge in one of the least inhabited regions on earth remains challenging, Voluck seems determined to continue what he considers his singular contribution to tikkun olam.

“Everywhere on earth, indigenous peoples are sustaining a massive assault on their survival,” he said. “And if there’s one group that’s figured out how to weather massive assaults on their survival, it’s the Jews.”

Congrats to Rabia Belt and Greg Ablavsky!!!!

November 12, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Winners of the Kathryn T. Preyer Scholar Award, a very big deal in legal history circles!

I met Rabia (JD/PhD from Michigan — Go Blue twice) when she audited my Federal Indian Law class in the winter of 2011. I strongly recommend all her work, but my favorite is the paper on madness. 🙂

I met Greg through his American Indian legal history work (here, here and here), some of which he workshopped a few summers back at Angela Riley’s wonderful UCLA junior scholars workshop.

Suzan Harjo To Be Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

November 11, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

Here.

Here is her bio:

Suzan Harjo
Suzan Harjo is a writer, curator, and activist who has advocated for improving the lives of Native peoples throughout her career. As a member of the Carter Administration and as current president of the Morning Star Institute, she has been a key figure in many important Indian legislative battles, including the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Dr. Harjo is Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee, and a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

Shannon County, S.D. to Change Name to Oglala Lakota County

November 7, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the news article, “Shannon County voters approve name change.”

An excerpt:

The southwestern South Dakota county holds the majority of the land on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It is named after Peter Shannon, a chief justice of the Dakota Territory Supreme Court who later helped negotiate land deals with the Lakota. Shannon isn’t well thought of among many American Indians.

South Dakota Adopts Multistate Bar Exam (which includes Indian law)

November 7, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the article, “Changes coming to South Dakota bar exam.”

Non-Profit Organization Works to Train Interpreters for Yup’ik Speakers in Alaska Courts

November 3, 2014Victoria Sweet1 Comment

In some areas of Alaska many elders and even middle-aged community members grew up with Yup’ik as their first language. The resulting language gap for these individuals has created problems when they are involved in court hearings. To combat these problems, the Alaska Institute for Justice is heading up an effort to train Yup’ik interpreters specifically to work in courts, medical facilities, and other institutions. The experts involved with this training are working to create a Yup’ik legal glossary with an emphasis on words that describe problems such as: sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and parental neglect and abuse.

“Our goal is to make sure that all Alaskans have access to the services that they need regardless of their ability to speak English,” said Robin Bronen, executive director of the justice institute.

Full article available here.

Michigan SCT Justice Mike Cavanagh OpEd: “Inaugural tribal-state court forum addresses child welfare issues”

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Justice Cavanagh’s op/ed is available here.

An excerpt:

Our inaugural Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum meeting this week focused on issues of Indian child welfare, on outlining the scope of the Forum’s work, and on organizing our leadership. We examined what forums in other states are doing to find examples of best practices and innovations. Also, we delved into the ICWA as the “gold standard,” as well as the importance of judicial leadership and collaboration.

Because we can’t know where we should be headed if we don’t know where we are now, the Forum also received updates on Michigan Indian child welfare data, and child welfare services and resources from the State Court Administrative Office.

Most importantly, the Forum finalized our Naakonigewin, or Charter, which defines our make-up, appointment process, and governance. The Charter will not only solidify and formalize a valuable, long-standing relationship, but it also will lay the groundwork for future collaborations among the courts. The Charter will guarantee that while the names may change, the mission will continue.

As we opened our meeting with a traditional tribal pipe ceremony and drums, I had the honor of sharing some reflections on my lifelong commitment to improving relations between our sovereign governments and our people. I am also excited to hand over my role as Supreme Court Tribal Liaison Justice to the Forum to Justice Bridget McCormack. I have no doubt she will bring even more passion and dedication to the task.

I am positive that the Forum, under the guidance of Justice McCormack, its tribal and state judge co-chairs, and the participation of many of the state’s and tribes’ most dedicated jurists, will continue to find common ground to accomplish wonderful things for all our children. The measure of our success will be reflected in strong relationships, linking our peoples, learning from the lessons of the past and leading our children to a better future.