Theresa Pouley, chief judge of the Tulalip Tribal Court in Washington, Michael Petoskey, chief judge of the Pokagan Band of Potawatomi Indians in Michigan, and William A. Thorne Jr., a Pomo/Coast Miwok Indian appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals, discuss the Indian Child Welfare Act and the advantages of transferring child welfare cases from state to tribal jurisdiction. This is one of three podcasts produced in collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. (July 2011)
Peacemaker Administrator Anna Francis-Jack discusses tribal history and how The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington State have launched and grown their peacemaking program. (May 2012)
Court Administrator Susie Martin and Chief Probation Officer Lucinda Yellowhair explain how the Navajo Nation's pilot community court will draw on their culture's traditional restorative justice principles. Martin and Yellowhair discussed the Navajo initiative with Robert V. Wolf and Aaron Arnold of the Center for Court Innovation during a November visit by members of the planning team to the Red Hook Community Justice Center.
Abby Abinanti has served as Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribal Court since 2007. Here she discusses the creation of the Tribal Court Association (Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk, and Smith River tribes), the establishment of a cultural competency course in the tribal wellness court, and her experience bridging the gap between the tribal justice system and the state justice system. This interview was originally published in the Fall 2009 Journal of Court Innovation.
Irene Black serves as District Court Judge for the Aneth Judicial District, one of ten judicial districts within the Navajo Nation. She spoke with the Center in July 2010 about her role in planning a community court in Indian Country.
Darrell Dowty serves as Associate Justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court and maintains a private law practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He also currently serves as Associate Justice of the Kaw Nation Supreme Court, as well as judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court and the Sac and Fox Nation District Court.
Joseph Flies-Away formerly served as Chief Judge of the Hualapai Tribal Court, and he currently serves as pro tem judge for several tribal courts in the Southwest. In addition, Mr. Flies-Away works as a Community Nation Building Consultant in Phoenix, Arizona. He spoke with the Center in May 2010 about his experience as a tribal court judge and his vision for the future of the tribal judiciary.
P.J. Herne currently serves as Chief Judge of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and has previously worked as a prosecutor and defense attorney in Franklin County, New York. Here he speaks about the challenges of expanding a tribal justice system and opening the lines of communication between tribal and state courts. This interview was originally published in the Fall 2009 Journal of Court Innovation.
B.J. Jones serves as a tribal court judge for over 10 different tribal nations and currently serves as director of the Tribal Judicial Institute at the University of North Dakota School of Law. Here he shares his experiences working in both tribal and state courts and the fundamental lesson he’s learned: that solutions come from communities. This interview was originally published in the Fall 2009 Journal of Court Innovation.
David Raasch currently serves as Associate Judge of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Court, and he provides training and technical assistance to tribal communities as a tribal court specialist with Fox Valley Technical College. Here he discusses his role as a proponent of the peacemaking approach and his insight into the lingering distrust between tribal and state justice systems. This interview was originally published in the Fall 2009 Journal of Court Innovation.
