FEBRUARY 21, 2020: THREE TAILS ON ONE RABBIT: PRESERVING JUSTICE THROUGH TRADITIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND FEDERAL SYSTEMS, THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

Tribal court judges, often unknowingly, fill multiple needs within tribal systems. First, they adjudicate disputes. Second, they are the focal point of attacks, or preservation of, sovereignty of tribes. The federal system often in an off-hand manner assaults our tribal adjudicatory processes as illustrated in U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments and decisions. Third, we can function as a tribal mechanism for institutionalizing our culture, social structures and traditional processes, carrying our tribal systems into the future. We will give examples of each of these threads through stories, documents, laws and history.

FACULTY:

HON. GREGORY BIGLER, MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION DISTRICT COURT; APPELLATE JUDGE MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT NATION; SUPREME COURT JUDGE OF IOWA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA; CHIEF JUSTICE SUPREME COURT KICKAPOO TRIBE IN KANSAS; SUPREME COURT JUSTICE QUAPAW TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA.

PROFESSOR KRISTEN CARPENTER, COUNCIL TREE PROFESSOR OF LAW AND DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN LAW PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO LAW SCHOOL. PROFESSOR CARPENTER ALSO SERVES ON THE UNITED NATIONS EXPERT MECHANISM ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AS ITS MEMBER FROM NORTH AMERICA.

MODERATORS:

REBEKAH HORSECHIEF (OSAGE), PROGRAM COORDINATOR, NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN COURT JUDGES ASSOCIATION

ANSLEY SHERMAN MUSCOGEE (CREEK), PROGRAM ATTORNEY, NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN COURT JUDGES ASSOCIATION.