Tuesday, November 15th 12-1pm
We welcome Chief Tribal Judges Abby Abinanti and Victorio Shaw to the Green & Gold Speaker series. Through a virtual panel discussion with Sac State Native American Studies faculty, they will elaborate on concepts surrounding Tribal sovereignty, the need for Tribal courts, and their approaches to trauma-informed judicial processes as necessary mechanisms for achieving Tribal Justice and positively influencing the CA State judicial system.
Chief Judge Abby Abinanti
Chief Judge Abby Abinanti received her BA in journalism from Humboldt State in 1970 and a law degree from the University of New Mexico school of law in 1993. She is an enrolled member of the Yurok tribe, and the first California Tribal woman to be admitted to the California bar. Since 1976, she has held many accomplishments, including establishing her own private practice, serving as legal director and director of Lesbians of Color Project’s National Center for Lesbian Rights, and serving as directing attorney for California Indian Legal Services. Judge Abinanti was appointed to the Yurok Tribal court in 1997 and has served as its Chief Judge since 2007. Before that she spent more than 17 years as a Commissioner in the San Francisco superior court where she was assigned to the Unified Family Court. Over the course of her illustrious career, Judge Abby has been instrumental in developing the Yurok Children's Code, the Yurok Family Code, and the Judicial Ordinances, all of which have significantly expanded Yurok Tribal jurisprudence. Currently, Judge Abby is leading the effort to expand the tribe’s concurrent jurisdictional capacity and enhanced services for Yurok tribal members, their families, and their children.
Chief Judge Victorio Shaw
Chief Judge Victorio Shaw is an Indian Child Welfare Act specialist who also works for the protection of Indian children at the Indian Child and Family Preservation Program. He is an enrolled member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and is a descendant of Karuk, Yurok and Apache Mescalero people. He received a BA in Fine Arts from Humboldt State in 2004, and after graduating from UC Davis School of Law in 2011, Judge Shaw began teaching in the university’s Native American Studies Department and serving as a part-time instructor of Federal Indian Law. He has extensive background in tribal law and has worked at several prestigious Indian law firms. In 2012, Judge Shaw began his own practice allowing him to provide personalized services directly to families and individuals, as well as continuing to focus on traditional tribal representation. As the longest tenured member on the Board of Trustees of California Indian Legal Services (C.I.L.S.), he has helped many families preserve and create healthy family structures for their children. Over the years, he has been a frequent contributor to community education workshops and enjoys volunteering to help Native children and families whenever he can.
National Indian Justice Center
Tribal Law and Policy Institute
National Museum of the American Indian
A Second Century of Dishonor: Federal Inequities and California Tribes
Restorative Justice in Indian Country - Dissent Magazine
Since you asked: What data exists about Native American people in the criminal justice system?
Banishment Laws Revived Among Indians - The Washington Post
Can Indian Country withstand the new Supreme Court?
Indigenous Peacemaking, National Indian Law Library, Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
California Indian Legal Services
Hupa and Yurok | National Museum of American History
California Truth & Healing Council | The Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs
2013 and 2022 Reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Violence Against Women | NCAI.
Tribes see progress with Violence Against Women Act and more funding - Indianz.Com
California Native American Heritage Commission
University of California, Berkeley repatriates cultural artifacts to Indigenous tribe
Cherokee Nation, others set to defend Indian Child Welfare Act | News | cherokeephoenix.org
Texas, Big Oil Lawyers Target Native Children in a Bid to End Tribal Sovereignty