Montana Lawyer April/May 2024

revived my faith in the future of Indian law practitioners. Indian law is such a terribly racist and complicated subject, but to see the conviction and passion with which each student navigated their arguments made me proud - not only as an advo cate for Tribal sovereignty, but also as an Indigenous person who has been impacted by federal policies. Our future is bright, and we need more Indian law students!” The real stars, however, were the UM law students who organized the event. The two primary student leaders were Sapphire Carter (Chippewa Cree, 1L) and Monte Cole (3L). They were supported by Holly Old Crow (Crow, 3L), Raven Rattler (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, 2L), Ericka Camposan (Crow, 2L), and David Ricci (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa

Indians, 2L). Sapphire expressed that these leaders “felt an incredibly supportive atmosphere among the competitors, judges, and vol unteers throughout the competition, and that can be attributed to all the smiling and excited alumni and Montana law commu nity who came out in full force to help put on a successful moot court.” Raven stated that the moot court “was an exciting experience; and to know that so many law students across the country are heading into Native American law, in all of its different formats, is inspiring. Thank you to all the attorneys, judges, professors, and students who worked to make this NNALSA Moot Court one of the best!” Usually, the NNALSA Moot Court

concludes with an awards banquet where the winners are announced. Of course, our Montana students had to do things bigger and better. In addition to including an honoring ceremony in memory of Nicole “Nikki” Ducheneaux, the concluding event focused on making the competition “Indigenous” by organizing a round dance and offering a traditional meal. Everyone joined in the round dancing as singers and drummers filled the venue with song and culture. The final judges were given cultur al gifts of wool blankets to show apprecia tion. The winners were announced. Kansas University topped in the Best Oralist and Best Overall Advocates categories. Seattle University won the best brief.

CLE on Your Schedule Our selection of on-demand cle courses puts you in control of your annual requirements. https://montana.inreachce.com/

APRIL-MAY 2024

15

WWW.MONTANABAR.ORG