• News and Events
• Our Mission and Objectives

News and Events

• Professor Robert Anderson was named to the National Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Chairing the committee is Quinault Nation President and UW Law Alumna Fawn Sharp '95.
• In December, NALC won a dismissal on a complex tribal case, working with National Advocates for Pregnant Women. We are excited to continue developing interdisciplinary partnerships with advocacy organizations.
• Professor Robert Anderson is teaching American Indian Law at Harvard during winter quarter. Prof. Anderson holds a five year appointment at Harvard as the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor of Law.
• Professor Robert Anderson is speaking on “State Criminal Jurisdiction in Northwest Indian Casinos” at the 9th Annual NW Gaming Law conference Dec 1 in Seattle.
• Professor Whitener on Pursuing Equal Justice for All Native Americans.
• Professor Robert Anderson offered the keynote address at the Washington Water Trust's Annual Benefit on November 12.
• Professor Ron Whitener was honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change.” The award features lawyers “who dedicate their professional lives to closing the justice gap in America” and is given to a small group of people who are “Winning the Future.” This honor was presented to Whitener at the White House on October 13, 2011.
• Professor Ron Whitener is speaking on Tribal Sovereignty at the MSU Indigenous Law Conference “Beyond the Tribal Law and Order Act” in October 2011.
• Professor Molly Cohan offered “Lessons for Success: Education, Career, Family, and Community” at the Young Native Women’s Leadership Academy on September 27, 2010 at the Tulalip Casino.
• Congratulations to Professor Robert Anderson for coordinating another successful Indian Law Symposium on September 8 and 9. If you missed it, you can purchase the podcast CLE.
• Welcome to the 2011-12 Clinical Students. This year’s clinic is made up of 16 JD students and 3 LLM students from Afghanistan.
• Professor Robert Anderson was appointed to the Joint Executive-Legislative Workgroup on Tribal Retrocession He was jointly appointed by Governor Gregoire, Senate Majority Leader Brown and Speaker of the House Chopp.
• In September, The Native American Law Center received a grant from the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice which will fund a Gathering to bring together interested tribal partners to learn about and discuss evidence-based programs (EBPs) that demonstrate a reduction in recidivism among juvenile court involved youth, and to examine how to implement EBPs in tribal communities.
• Professors Robert Anderson, Ron Whitener, and Molly Cohan testified before the Indian Law and Order Commission on issues of Retrocession and Public Defense in Indian Country in September. The Indian Law and Order Commission will be reporting to the White House and Capitol Hill next year with specific suggestions to improve safety and justice in Indian Country.
• Read our October Newsletter, NALC Partnership of Juvenile Justice Professionals
• Professor Ron Whitener is quoted on tribal same sex marriage rights in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog

Our Founder's Vision and Legacy

The Native American Law Center was founded by the School of Law to carry on and expand the work of Professor Ralph W. Johnson. For forty-four years, Professor Johnson taught at the UW Law School and provided direct assistance to the tribes in Washington State and across the nation. Professor Johnson's scholarly work in the field of Indian Law is nationally known, his writings have been cited more than 300 times by the United States Supreme Court as well as by lower federal and state court judges. Professor Johnson created this Native American Law Center to carry on his life's work.

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