Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic

As part of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington School of Law, the Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic partners with the Tulalip,  Squaxin Island, Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup Tribes to serve as their public defender on these reservations. Generally, tribal members do not have a right to counsel in tribal criminal proceedings, and the Tulalip Tribes sought an innovative way to address this need, resulting in the clinic formation in July 2002. The bulk of the student work is at the Tulalip Tribes where the Clinic has handled over 800 cases. 

Tribal Court Clinic News

• Students Represent Tulalip Clients in a Variety of Cases in Winter Quarter
  During Winter Quarter, teams represented clients on charges including theft, obstruction, DUI, drug possession, and assault.    Clinic students Suzanne Pickering and Richard Wentzel handled two suppression hearings in the last month alone.  While the Judge denied their motion in the first case, he and the prosecutor lauded the students’ preparation and diligent representation of their client.  The denial of the motion would have been appealed but for the fact that the case was dismissed prior to trial on other grounds.       They await a formal ruling in the second matter.  Many other cases handled by Clinic students were resolved short of trial; such include a number of cases dismissed due to thorough factual investigation and detailed and thoughtful legal analysis. 
• TCPD partners with UW Medical School
  In an interdisciplinary partnership with the UW Medical School, Prof. Whitener is developing a University-wide policy to guide researchers when Native American individuals and communities are the subject of research studies. This will cover tribal research approval processes, partnership building, appropriate use of data, sharing of research results and issues related to the publication of studies.
• Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic nominated for Harvard’s Honoring Nations Award
  The TCPD Clinic was nominated by the Tulalip Tribes for an Honoring Nations Award, a project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard University. The Clinic was selected to the semi-finals and is awaiting word.
• Professor Whitener appointed Chief Judge for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Indian Reservation
  In January of 2008, Clinic Director Ron Whitener was appointed as the trial court judge for the Chehalis Tribe in Rochester, Washington.  The tribal court meets at least twice a month and handles all civil and criminal matters for the tribe.  Students are encouraged to assist Professor Whitener as legal clerks.