Montana Lawyer April/May 2025

Indian Law Week In Review contd.

Reproductive Rights to a packed room. The panel included Amy Stiffarm, Ph.D., MPH (Aaniih, Chippewa-Cree, and Blackfeet) from Montana Health Mothers, Healthy Babies; Rachael Larenzo (Mescalero Apache, Laguna Pueblo, and Xicana) from Indigenous Women Rising; and Professor Lauren van Schilfgaarde (Cochiti Pueblo) from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law. Our panelists shared incredible insight on how tribal communities can transform their health care systems to care for the reproductive health of their tribal members. Mid-week, Dean Pippa Browde presented on her research involving the potential for tribes to harness tax credit develop ments under the Inflation Reduction Act. Later in the evening, NALSA held its annual Night with NALSA to celebrate the accomplishments of our Indian Law program graduates and our annual awardees at the Zootown Community Arts Center. This year, Professor Kekek Stark graciously donated star quilts to each of our graduates. NALSA honored Professor Andrew King-Ries with the Outstanding Teacher Award. This award goes to a Professor committed to teaching Federal Indian Law/Tribal Law in their coursework. Professor King-Ries has been a great supporter of NALSA throughout the years from volunteering to coach and judge National NALSA Moot Court to actively including Tribal Law and Federal Indian Law in his classes. NALSA also honored Jessica Wiles with the Outstanding Ally Award. This award goes to a non-Native American at torney who advocates for tribal sovereignty. Jessica Wiles has represented tribes and advocated for the interests of tribes in numerous roles throughout her career. NALSA bestowed its annual Judge Boldt award on Chief Judge of the Blackfeet Tribal Court, Bryan Dupuis. Judge Dupuis has made significant contributions to the Blackfeet Tribal Court in his short tenure in chambers. During the eve ning, Arlin Sharp and Austin Bear Medicine offered a special honor song to celebrate Chief Judge Bryan Dupuis’s achieve ment as the first Blackfeet Tribal Court Judge to win the Judge Boldt Award. Lastly, NALSA bestowed the annual Ray Cross Award on Rhonda Swaney (Salish and Kootenai) and Ryan Rusche (Fort Peck Tribes). The annual Ray Cross Award is named for former Montana law Professor Ray Cross. During his tenure with the University of Montana, Professor Cross taught Federal Indian Law and Public Lands and Natural Resource Law. He inspired a generation of Federal Indian Law and Tribal Law attorneys. The Ray Cross Award recognizes a Native American attorney com mitted to the advancement of tribal sovereignty. Rhonda Swaney and Ryan Rusche received the Ray Cross award for their dedication to working on the passage of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Water Compact. The crowd at Night with NALSA heard heart felt stories from Daniel Decker Jr. on their meaningful contributions to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe. Rhonda and Ryan gave inspiring acceptance speeches for the annual Ray Cross Awards.

The Indian Law Section and American Indian Governance and Policy Institute (AIGPI) closed out Indian law week with a stellar lineup for CLE day. The day started with Shannon O’Laughlin, Director of the Association on American Indian Affairs who discussed Tribal sovereignty and the federal regula tion of Tribal consultation under NAGPRA. The Montana ICWA panel included Judge Dusty Deschamps, Co-Director of Return To The Blanket Joseph Grady and attorneys Jessica Finley and Kelly Driscoll. A legislative update was presented by a powerhouse of practitioners across policy, advocacy, and the Montana American Indian Caucus regarding Tribal consulta tion, legislative action, and potential impacts to Tribes. The day closed out with a panel on Tribal consultation and featured Frank Ducheneaux, who was a part of every major piece of Indian legislation under the Self Determination era, and Lesa Evers who, in her former role with the Department of Public Health and Human Services was regarded by Tribal leaders as direct line to the State for improved access to health for Indian communities. Check out AIGPI’s events page for materials: https://www.umt.edu/american-indian-governance-policy institute/events/default.php Eddye McClure Award Eddye McClure fought for ing the 1995 The Tribal Nations of Montana: A Handbook for Legislators . In Eddye’s honor, the Montana Indian Law Section is proud to recognize Sapphire Carter as the Eddye McClure awardee. Sapphire has dedicated herself to her community and Indian country by serving as the National Native American Law Student Association Treasure, the Montana Chapter President, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Public Land and Resources Law Review. In her tenure as NALSA Chapter President, the University of Montana School of Law hosted the NNALSA Moot Court Competition. Sapphire has interned for Montana ACLU and the Native American Rights Fund. With her law degree, Sapphire plans to continue serving Tribal nations as a legal advocate. She will start a clerkship with Chief Judge Brian Morris this Fall. Section Membership Interested in becomming an Indian Law section member? If you have already paid your dues for FYE26 you can join the section by logging onto your dashboard, selecting the “Section” tile from the left bar, and following the prompts to become a section member. Sapphire Carter equality throughout her life and her battles have a lasting, posi tive impact on many people. Eddye had numerous accom plishments in her trailblazing battles, including establish ing the Indian Law Section of the Montana State Bar, creat

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