Tribal Law and Policy Institute

Tribal Law and Policy Institute
Name	Tribal Law and Policy Institute
Formation	1993
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	United States

Tribal Law and Policy Institute The Tribal Law and Policy Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on legal, policy, and programmatic work supporting Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. It provides training, technical assistance, research, and advocacy, engaging with federal, state, and tribal institutions and partnering with universities, foundations, and national organizations. The Institute works across areas such as tribal courts, public safety, children's services, and sovereignty, collaborating with regional tribal entities, legal centers, and legislative bodies.

History

Founded in 1993 amid shifts in federal Indian policy, the Institute's origins intersect with developments involving the Native American Rights Fund, Indian Law Resource Center, and the revival of tribal institutions after the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Early collaborations included tribal leaders from the Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation, and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and legal scholars from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Over time the Institute engaged with initiatives tied to the Violence Against Women Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the Tribal Law and Order Act, and contributed to dialogues involving the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Indian Health Service. Key moments linked the Institute to national convenings with the National Congress of American Indians, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and the National Indian Child Welfare Association.

Mission and Programs

The Institute's mission emphasizes strengthening tribal sovereignty and justice systems, informed by interactions with entities such as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Administration for Native Americans, and philanthropic partners like the Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Programs reflect priorities set by tribal councils from the Oneida Nation, Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Rosebud Sioux Tribe and address issues appearing in cases before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Federal Communications Commission where tribal interests intersect with regulatory proceedings. Program development has drawn on models from the Center for American Indian Economic Development and comparative work with indigenous organizations such as Assembly of First Nations and Maori Council.

Legal Services and Technical Assistance

The Institute provides legal support and technical assistance related to tribal codes, tribal court development, and cross-jurisdictional matters involving the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and state attorneys general offices like those of California, Alaska, and New Mexico. It assists tribes negotiating compacts and agreements influenced by precedents from cases such as Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe and statutory frameworks like the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Collaborations have included work with the Tribal Law Research Project, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on tribal responses to public safety and health issues.

Training and Education

Training programs engage tribal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and tribal council members, often convening alongside institutions such as Stanford Law School, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, and the National Judicial College. Topics mirror matters litigated before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and correspond with curricula used by the American Bar Association and the National Association of Attorneys General. Educational initiatives have included tribal juvenile justice reforms linked to the Pueblo of Laguna, victim services aligned with the Office for Victims of Crime, and culturally grounded approaches informed by elders from the Lakota Sioux and Hopi communities.

Research and Publications

The Institute produces research, model codes, and practice guides that reference landmark decisions such as Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez and statutes including the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Publications have been cited in reports by the Congressional Research Service, the Government Accountability Office, and academic journals from Columbia University and University of New Mexico. Reports cover topics intersecting with agencies like the Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and initiatives like Tribal Self-Governance. The Institute’s material has been used in curricula at University of Michigan Law School and policy briefings for members of the United States Congress and tribal delegations to the White House Tribal Nations Conference.

Partnerships and Advocacy

Advocacy and partnerships include coordination with the National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Education Association, Native American Finance Officers Association, and regional bodies such as the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association. The Institute has engaged with federal entities including the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Social Security Administration on matters affecting tribal jurisdictions. Internationally, connections extend to organizations like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the International Labour Organization in dialogues about indigenous rights. The Institute’s advocacy work supports tribal testimony before legislative committees of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and contributes to coalitions with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the ACLU on overlapping civil rights concerns.

Category:Native American law