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    CRSJ Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

    The Section is proud to provide programs and resources celebrating the culture and history of Native people in the United States. In our past and future programs, we take a close look at the legal issues that Native Americans are facing. The impressive panels and resources examine a range of issues including the status of U.S. Territories, recent SCOTUS decisions, plays and documentary discussions, and more!   

    125 Years of Empire: Examining the Separate and Unequal Status of U.S. Territories

    125 Years of Empire

    Nov. 16 | 4-6pm ET

    At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States transformed itself into an empire, acquiring overseas territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. This program will examine the ongoing legacy of the Insular Cases and how legal frameworks like the territorial "incorporation doctrine" have profoundly influenced the rule of law in U.S. territories. It will then discuss recent Supreme Court decisions related to the arbitrary and unequal treatment of the residents of U.S. territories and Congress' role in addressing these constraints.

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    Indian Law Cases Decided By SCOTUS This Term: A Primer

    Indian Law Cases Decided By SCOTUS This Term: A Primer

    On-Demand Now

    The United States Supreme Court decided several Indian law cases this term that touch on fundamental concepts at the core of federal Indian law. This panel, made up, in part, of lawyers who were directly involved in each of these cases on behalf of Indian Tribes, and other lawyers and scholars who offer a broader perspective, discuss each of these cases and their impact on broader federal Indian law principles.

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    Warrior Lawyers: Documentary Discussion

    Warrior Lawyers: Documentary Discussion

    On-Demand Now

    The Section is excited to announce that Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice will be available to stream for free from November 4-11, 2022, and will host a panel discussion with Executive Producer Audrey Geyer, Hon. Michael Petoskey, and Hon. Timothy Connors. Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice is a one-hour PBS documentary that is particularly timely and relevant given our country's current reckoning with racial inequity and systemic racism.

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    Sliver of a Full Moon 2022: Live Performance and Panel Discussion

    Play and Discussion

    On-Demand Now

    Sliver of a Full Moon is a play that recounts the movement of Native women survivors, tribal leaders, and victim advocates who fought in 2013 to ensure that the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act included the restoration of tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, and violation of protection orders. Now, almost ten years since VAWA 2013's passage, and following the passage of VAWA 2022 this last Spring, Sliver of a Full Moon reflects on the crisis of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons. In the words of Lisa Brunner, VAWA 2013 was a miracle, but it is only a sliver of the full moon of restoration of tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction that will be necessary to keep Native women and children safe. This new version of the play will be directed by the nationally acclaimed director and playwright Carolyn Dunn and will feature the talents of some of America's most well-known Native actors.

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    Decoding Brackeen: The Latest in the ICWA Saga

    On-Demand Now

    On November 9, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Haaland v. Brackeen, one of the most important Indian law cases in decades in which the Indian Child Welfare Act is being challenged. This distinguished panel will discuss the case and offer their opinions about the outcome of the oral arguments.

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    John E. Echohawk Received the 2023 Thurgood Marshall Award

    2023 Annual Meeting

    The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice honored Native American Rights Fund Executive Director John E. Echohawk with the 2023 Thurgood Marshall Award during the 2023 ABA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.

    About - the Dinner

    About NAHM

    This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area. Our colleagues in the Diversity & Inclusion Center have compiled helpful information on this commemorative.

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    ON DEMAND | Fairly Traceable: Live Performance and Panel Discussion

    In collaboration with the ABA Judicial Division Tribal Courts Council, the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice presents its second-ever virtual play and panel discussion. Set during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Fairly Traceable follows the journeys of a young Ponca man and a Chitimacha woman as they juggle personal and career ambitions with advocacy for the environment and the people they love. In this romantic dramedy, award-winning Cherokee playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle reveals the culpability of corporate polluters and climate change deniers in environmental disasters. In the discussion directly following the play, Native leaders discuss the performance and its significance.

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    CRSJ Honors Native Peoples With First-Ever Land Acknowledgement

    During the 2021 Fall Council Meeting's Welcome Reception, Chair Beth Whittenbury conducted a Native land acknowledgment, recognizing the Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land on which we now live.

    TLPI Executive Director Jerry Gardner Receives 2022 Drinan Award

    The Section honored longtime leader and current Special Counsel Jerry Gardner with its Father Robert F. Drinan Award for Distinguished Service, during the 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting. Jerry was the first Native American to receive the Award.

    About - the Recipient

    Programming from Past NAHM

    Native Hawaiian Identity, Rights and Policy Issues

    This webinar discusses the status and realities of Native Hawaiian community, along with measures to uplift the voices of Native Hawaiians in the Asian American and Pacific Islander activist movement.
    2020 Election Debrief: Practiced, But Not Perfect

    This webinar discusses pre-election day voting methods, election administration, current litigation of election procedures and the pertinence of past election controversies.
    Obstacles at Every Turn – Native Vote in a World of Coronavirus

    This webinar discusses the recent Native American Rights Fund report, and the additional barriers and considerations as a result of the coronavirus.
    Adapting Elections in a Pandemic: COVID-19 and Beyond

    This webinar discusses the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on elections, including a discussion of the approaches taken in Wisconsin and other jurisdictions, possible approaches for the November elections and beyond, specifically the feasibility of a mail-only ballot system, and potential barriers to implementing those approaches.

    Issues Affecting Native American Communities During the COVID-19 Crisis

    This webinar addresses the economic and legal impact of the COVID-19 crisis both in the short-term and long-term in tribal communities.
    The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Report "Broken Promises: Continued Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans"

    This webinar discusses the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report, Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans.
    Five Years Later: An Update on VAWA 2013 Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (over Non-Indians)

    This webinar discusses the National Congress of American Indians' recent report, "Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Five Year Report" as well as the need for special jurisdiction, an overview of the process, the findings of implementing special jurisdiction, and profiles of the 18 tribes who have implemented special jurisdiction.
    At a Crossroads: Native American Sovereignty, Water Rights, and Climate Change

    This webinar discusses Native American water rights under the law and how these rights are impacted by current policy.

    Upcoming Programs

    In order to serve and provide resources to our Section members, the greater ABA, and the general public, the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice presents a variety of webinars highlighting critical legal issues of civil liberties, human rights, and social justice.

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