At a recent Annual Meeting, a quorum of the National Native American Bar Association (the “NNABA”) passed a resolution entitled: “Resolution #2015-07 Affirming the inclusion of Indian Law on State Bar Licensing Exams.” President Mary Smith signed the measure, which will no doubt interest anyone seeking the services of a Palm Springs tribal attorney.
The NNABA strives to serve as a leader on political, cultural and social issues impacting Native Americans and Hawaiians. The organization passed several previous resolutions. It was founded in 1973.
Resolution Among Licensing Bodies in Indian Tribal Law
This resolution basically proposes that licensing bodies in every state should include Indian tribal law as a part of the state bar examination. The resolution focuses specific attention on those states with significant Native American populations. It notes that of the 14 states that have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (the “UBE”), some 11 have large tribal populations. These states are: Michigan, Alaska, Wyoming, Nebraska, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Montana, Utah and North Dakota.
The resolution also observes that in the past, New Mexico, Washington and South Dakota included “Indian law” on their respective bar examinations. Later, in October 2014, New Mexico eliminated this subject from its state exam when it adopted the Multistate Essay Examination portion of the UBE.
The resolution also mentions that Arizona’s Supreme Court in 2009 denied a petition to include “Indian law” on the Arizona bar exam, due to the potential for this subject to be embraced by the UBE as a testing topic.
Contact Our Palm Springs Tribal Attorneys
If you need help with tribal law in Palm Springs, contact us at 760-322-2275 to schedule a consultation.
