Tribal Law and Government

Catalog description

U.S. lawyers increasingly find themselves representing clients in matters involving tribal courts, governments, lands, and citizens. This course will introduce students to the internal law and governance systems of the approximately 566 sovereign Indigenous nations located within the borders of the United States. Students will explore a rich variety of constitutional, executive, legislative, and judicial models. The class will also study various Indigenous North American approaches to substantive areas such as juvenile justice, environmental regulation, criminal sentencing, and so on. This course will provide critical knowledge to future practitioners in many fields, such as energy law, family law, and commercial litigation and transactions. It will also broaden skills in reading foreign law, navigating our complex federal legal system, understanding the legal challenges faced by developing nations, and gaining literacy in multi-cultural legal perspectives. Prerequisite(s): None. Graded.