48th Annual National Tribal Judicial and Court Personnel Conference is Accepting Requests for Presentation Proposals Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 – Friday, October 13, 2017 Where: Isleta Resort & Casino – Albuquerque, NM Conference Theme: “Tribal Justice: Building and Strengthening Relationships and Partnerships” The National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) is soliciting requests for presentation

Michigan Judicial Institute – Advanced New Judges Seminar Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017 9:00 AM – Friday March, 31, 2017 4:00 PM Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel- Lansing, MI Michigan Judicial Institute is holding a two day seminar packed with a variety of topics. NARF’s Indigenous Peacemaking Initiative project’s Advisory Committee member Hon. Timothy Connors is

Drug Court Begins In Forest County (WI) Thursday (3/9/17) was the first day for Drug Court in Forest County, a joint effort from the state court system at the Forest County Courthouse and Forest County Potawatomi Tribal Court to get persons convicted of drug offenses into treatment. Listen to the full report at the WXPR

Tribal Justice: Film Premier and Trailer Watch this 4-minute trailer for a new film showcasing tribal traditions being brought forward to good effect in California… Wonderful expression of how and why this all works! http://www.makepeaceproductions.com/tribaljustice/spotlight/

Deadline Extended for Position Announcement: Oregon Position Announcement: Tribal judge position in Oregon, very limited hours per week, with some peacemaking interface. Currently it is part-time but it could become more if the Tribal Healing to Wellness Court (Drug Court) becomes operational.  Deadline extended to February 24, 2017. CONFEDERATED TRIBES OFCOOS, LOWER UMPQUA & SIUSLAW

Video: Peacemaking: In the Courts and Community This video was produced by the Washtenaw County (Michigan) Peacemaking court, and also features peacemakers and participants from the Skyline High School peacemaking program, both of which incorporate native values and are based on collaborative efforts with local tribes.

Ontario approves establishment of Indigenous People’s Court in Thunder Bay The Chief Justice’s Office, in the Ontario Court of Justice has approved the establishment of an Indigenous People’s Court in Thunder Bay. The new Court will use a restorative justice approach to sentencing. It will also emphasize Indigenous culture and traditions to help heal Indigenous

Joint therapeutic court launches in Kenai The Henu’ Community Wellness Court is on the brink of admitting its first participant after more than a year of work to get off the ground. A joint therapeutic-style court formed between the state and the Kenatize Indian Tribe, the program will target and admit those facing long felony

A Mexican Indigenous Community Finds Its Own Way Dispute resolution and many other functions of government are handled on a radically local level in this Mexican indigenous community.  Not that long ago, community members fought  to reestablish their rights to govern themselves, free from the colonial and cartel forces that have previously taken them for

Exit, Pursued By a Bear: Why Peacemaking Makes Sense in State Court Justice Systems Michigan Judge Timothy Connors advocates peacemaking as an alternative path because “it works,” explaining that this alternative path for state courts helps them live up to their public responsibility to help heal controversy.  The article includes reference to the NARF Indigenous

The Indigenous Practice That Is Transforming the Adversarial Process A brief but comprehensive read from The Judges’ Journal  providing background in several areas.  First, the author recounts the historical origins of use of circles for justice practices and describes the Kake, Alaska, practice of using circles – Grief Circles, Peacemaking Circles, Suicide Prevention Circles, Celebration

Michigan’s Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum – Attempting Great Things Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack explains how Michigan’s tribal , state , and federal courts have created a unique partnership regarding tribal children and families—drawing on their shared goals of ensuring the proper administration of justice within their jurisdictions, resolving disputes in a manner

SAMHSA Is Accepting Applications for 2017 Grants The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for fiscal year 2017 Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity in Adult Treatment Drug Courts and Adult Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts. Up to $54.6 million in funding is available over the course of three

Washtenaw County Peacemaking Court Evaluation of Implementing Peacemaking in a Non-Tribal Court System Peacemaking and Parent Partners Evaluation (2016) Evaluation of the Washtenaw County (Michigan) Peacemaking Court, which incorporated peacemaking within their court in the fall of 2013.  The program’s goal is to increase satisfaction of litigants and improve public trust in justice.  Since the

Alaska’s First Joint State-Tribal Wellness Court Officially Established The Kenaitze Indian Tribe has officially entered a historic government-to-government partnership with the Alaska Court System, signing an agreement to create a joint-jurisdiction state-tribal therapeutic court that will serve people across the central Kenai Peninsula later this year. Representatives of the tribe, state court and the Office

A Framework for Understanding Tribal Courts and the Application of Fundamental Law Through an examination of scholarly articles, this paperdiscusses traditional tribal justice systems set in tribal communities. This effort establishes a framework for  understanding tribal courts and the unique challenges they face.Read the full scholarly article by April L. Wilkinson in Volume 15 of

Report on Holistic and Traditional Justice Roundtable This publication provides a detailed description of the “Holistic & Traditional Justice Roundtable” held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 13, 2015 (see Appendix B). More than 24 Indian Law experts attended the Roundtable and participated in a full day discussion, which yielded considerable insights on holistic and

Tlingit & Haida: Tribal youth court could launch in a few weeks About 30 tribal officials and community members recently discussed ways to get a new youth court up and running in Juneau. It’s an opt-in program for youth tribal members in Southeast Alaska that’s an alternative to the regular justice system. Read the full story at

Restorative Justice Returning to Tulalip Courthouse What’s the surefire way to stop a behavior? Punish it, right? From schools, to workplaces, animal training to penitentiaries we see examples everywhere. Obviously, punishment works or we wouldn’t keep doing it. Except, in some cases, common wisdom is entirely wrong. Punishment doesn’t work, as evidenced by the number

There Is Hope: Time to Follow an Indigenous Model for Peace in America I’m a disciple of John Mohawk, a dearly departed Seneca philosopher and professor.  He introduced me to the Great Law, a model for peacemaking and peacekeeping amongst warring nations—communities where there is a genuine divide.  I’m simply going to quote his 2004