Class Assignments:

# 1 Placing ICWA Historically

Indian Child Welfare Act Handbook, 2nd ed. – read pp. 1-15 and 191-210.

Atwood, Children, Tribes, and States – 153-169.

Matthew L.M. Fletcher, The Indian Child Welfare Act: Implication for American Indian and Alaska Native Children, Families, and Communities, in American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Mental Health, eds. Michelle C. Sarache et al. 274-277 (2011).

#2 (9/8) Constitutional Questions, Federalism, Definition of the Indian Child

Assignment:

Fort, pp 1-37, including the handouts.

Atwood, pp 17-55

For reference ONLY, links the full cases:

Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535 (1974)

Wisconsin Potowatomies of the Hannahville Indian Community v. Houston, 393 F.Supp. 719 (1973)

Fisher v. District Court, 424 U.S. 382 (1976)

Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49, (1978)

Debacker v. Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians, Unpublished Opinion, (Mich. Ct. App. 2012)

#3 (9/15) Continued discussion of the 9/8 reading

#4 (9/22) Jurisdiction

Assignment:

Fort, pp 38-62

Jones, pp 53-70

For reference ONLY:

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield, 490 U.S. 30 (1989)

Matter of A.B., 663 N.W.2d 625 (N.D. 2003), cert denied ___, U.S. ______;

In re N.E.G.P, 626 N.W.2d 921 (Mich. Ct. App. 2001)

In re M.S., 237 P.3d 161 (Okla, 2010)

Matter of Appeal of Maricopa County Juvenile Action No JD-6982, 922 P.2d 319 (Ariz. App. Div. 1 1996)

Oglala Sioux Tribe v. Van Hunnik

#5 (9/29) ICWA Provisions: Notice

Assignment:

Fort, 63-78

Jones, 84-88; 211-241

For reference ONLY:

In re Francisco W.,139 Cal.App.4th 695 (Cal. App. 4^th 2006)

In re Skyler H., 186 Cal.App. 1411 (Cal. App.  4^th Dist., 2010)

In re Morris No. 142759 (Mich. 2012)

Kathryn Fort, The Cherokee Conundrum, available at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1392293

#6 (10/6) ICWA Provisions: Active Efforts

Fort, 80-107

Atwood, 175-180

For reference ONLY:

In re J.L., 483 Mich. 300; 770 N.W.2d 853 (2009)

In re Nicole B., 410 Md. 33; 976 A.2d 1039 (2009)

#7 (10/13) ICWA Provisions: Expert Witnesses & Placement Preferences

Fort, 108-130

Jones, 95-101; 133-152

For Reference ONLY:

In re M.F., 290 Kan. 225 P.3d 1177 (2010)

In re S.E.G., 521 N.W.2d 357 (Minn. 1994)

#8 (10/20) No Class Meeting

#9 (10/27) Voluntary Adoptions, Guardians ad Litem

Fort, 131-163

Atwood, 185-193; 229-240; 287-292; 300-315

Jones, 111-112

For reference ONLY:

Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl

In re T.S.W., No. 104,424 (Kansas, 2012)

In re Mellinger, 672 A.2d 197 (N.J. 1996)

Hanson v. Doe, 188 Mich.App. 392 (Mich. Ct. App. 1991)

In re Adoption of M. 832 P.2d 518 (Wash. Ct. App. 1992)

#10 (11/3) Existing Indian Family Exception and Other Policy Choices

Fort, 165-176

Atwood, 201-217

For reference ONLY:

In re Baby Boy L., 643 P.2d 168 (Kan. 1982)

In re Baby Boy C. 27 A.D.3d 34 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2005)

#11 (11/10) Tribes and Family Law

Atwood, 57-111

Fletcher, American Indian Tribal Law (2011), p. 459-473

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Constitution, Art. I, II

White Earth Customary Adoption Code, Title 4a

Nouri v. Crownpoint Family Court, Navajo Nation Supreme Court, No. SC-CV-41-14

#12 (11/17) Tribes and Family Law

Atwood, 113-151

James v. Window Rock Family Court, SC-CV-06-12 (Navajo Nation S.Ct., 2012)

In re S.L., 6 CTCR 14 (Colville Tribal Court of Appeals, 2014)

Articles here, here, here, and press releases here and here.

#13 (12/1) ICWA and Enforcement, More than 30 Years Later

CERD Alternative Report on Indigenous Children’s Right to Culture

Limb, Chance & Brown, An Empirical Examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act and its Impact on Cultural and Familial Preservation for American Indian Children, 28 Child Abuse & Neglect 1279 (2004)

MacEachron et al, The Effectiveness of the Indian Child Welfare Act, 70 Soc. Serv. Rev 451 (1996)

Fort, Observing Change, New York State Bar, Family Law Review, (Feb. 2014)

Margaret Jacobs, 2A Generation Removed, 275-5 (2014)