Additional Tribal Course Topics
Tribal Courses & Certificates
Training and Technical Assistance NTJC in the NewsHon. Ramona Tsosie winner of V. Robert Payant Award for Faculty Award
Chief Judge Abby Abinanti: Judicial Heroes & Legends
Protection Orders | Indian Child Welfare Act | Regulating Attorneys | PL-280 States | Courthouse Security | Security Leadership | Courtroom Communication Skills | Presentation Skills | Effective PowerPoints
These recorded webinars can be viewed after logging in to NJC On-Demand. Once you have logged in, click the “register” button of the webinar you would like to view. You will be automatically registered and be able to view the recording.
The Violence Against Women Act requires states, tribes and territories to provide full faith and credit for each other’s protection orders on domestic violence and child welfare. States and tribes have pursued a variety of paths to ensure full faith and credit. Some states have enacted statutes explicitly recognizing tribal judge protection orders. In other states, the judicial branch or the executive branch have established procedures for enforcement of tribal judge orders. This webinar will explore those options for tribal judges to ensure full faith and credit and offer best practices for tribal court judges in issuing protective orders. Speakers will include tribal judges and state perspectives, including law enforcement.
Air Date: Aug. 23, 2024
The Indian Child Welfare Act gives the Indian child’s tribe the right to intervene in a child custody proceeding. A tribal court may accept a transfer of jurisdiction over a child custody proceeding commenced in a state court upon the motion of a parent or Indian custodian or the Indian child’s tribe (25 U.S.C. Section 1911(b). In any case, tribal courts across the nation often focus on how best to ensure the welfare of tribal children. Tribal and state courts share intertwining authority, responsibility, and resources for child welfare. The Indian Child Welfare Act protects tribal authority over its children, but only starts the discussion of how best to protect the welfare of the child. As such, tribal courts can address a wide range of issues for tribal children, from custody to housing/food to juvenile justice. They may engage others in the Tribe and resources available outside the tribal community. Some tribal courts have found success collaborating with state courts and social service agencies in caring for tribal children. This webinar will discuss best practices for tribal courts in adjudicating child welfare cases, including collaboration with state courts and agencies, to provide for the needs of the Tribe’s children. Speakers will include a tribal judge, a state judge and representatives of state and tribal child welfare agencies.
Air Date: Aug 29, 2024
Like other courts, tribal courts have oversight responsibility for the lawyers who are allowed to practice before them. The issues that arise for that responsibility can vary widely among tribal courts – attorney qualifications, legal ethics, decorum, representation, ex parte contacts, and the discipline that may be required when lawyers fail to follow the rules. This webinar will identify the many areas where tribal courts may regulate attorney practice, and will describe the process that tribal courts may consider in adopting and enforcing rules of attorney practice. Speakers will include tribal judges, tribal attorneys, and private lawyers practicing in tribal courts.
Air Date: Sep 19, 2024
Tribal courts may exercise jurisdiction over civil and criminal law cases. In Public Law 280 states, tribal governments retained their inherent sovereignty to exercise criminal jurisdiction over tribal lands and tribal citizens. In these states, the tribal and state governments may share or exercise concurrent criminal jurisdiction. Exercising jurisdiction over criminal cases, however, requires the Tribe and its court to adopt criminal laws and procedures. In developing and adopting a criminal code, various issues and disputes may arise and the tribal court’s exercise of criminal jurisdiction will necessarily reflect the resolution of those issues. In PL-280 states, the Tribe, through its tribal court and/or tribal law enforcement, may elect to work with local law enforcement and state courts on how to exercise its criminal jurisdiction. It may exercise self-determination by coordinating and collaborating with local criminal justice agencies in implementing their shared criminal jurisdiction. This webinar will draw on the experience of tribes that have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, a criminal code, as well as from tribes who have elected to collaborate with local law enforcement to exercise concurrent jurisdiction. Speakers will include tribal judges exercising varying degrees of criminal jurisdiction, prosecutors and law enforcement officials.
Air Date: Sep 26, 2024
Courthouses across the nation have increased security precautions in recent years. Tribal courthouses also have needs for increased security precaution, but unique Tribal culture and Tribal land conditions may call for some different strategies. The risk created inside a courthouse can, and has, followed judges and court personnel outside the court environs, to their homes and other areas of their community. This webinar will address courthouse security and personal safety issues for Tribal courts, exploring practices that some Tribal courts have exercised to address courthouse security issues.
Tribal judges play a critical role in the safety and security of their Tribes. They and their courthouse staff adjudicate often difficult cases affecting the lives of victims and alleged perpetrators. Tribal law enforcement and the community they protect are part of their courthouse community, so Tribal judges regularly consider issues of safety and security on their Tribal lands. Tribal judges therefore have some understanding of safety and security, not just for the courthouse, but for the safety and security of the entire Tribe and its members. Tribal members and leaders may look to the leadership of their Tribal judge for their security, in their homes and at Tribal gatherings. This webinar will offer security practices that they can consider, to address their Tribe’s safety and security.
Tribal judges often receive invitations to speak to larger audiences, including Tribal Council meetings, education sessions, and ceremonies. This webinar will offer tips on topics such as using nonverbal communication effectively (gestures, use of voice, using the speaking space), facilitating learning activities including small group work, and handling speech anxiety. It will draw on tribal judges’ experience in “teachable moments,” such as when their presentation encounters challenges that they need to address.
Effective communication with every person who enters your courtroom is one of the keys to judges’ success. It gives parties confidence that you heard and considered their arguments. It gives your staff clear direction to success, and provides a model of civil engagement with the court. This webinar will draw on general useful communication practices for in the courtroom (e.g., giving a road map at the beginning of a proceeding, paraphrasing to check understanding and show you are listening, reinforcing important information, the importance of nonverbal elements, etc.). Working with tribal judges connected to the National Tribal Judicial Center, it will offer specific examples of good communication practices, including those the judges have found particularly helpful in tribal communities.
Microsoft PowerPoint has become the tool of choice for public presentations. NJC has long used and developed effective PowerPoint methods for presenting courses to judges. This webinar would offer tribal judges with some PowerPoint experience more advanced training on tried-and-true NJC tips on designing and presenting with PowerPoint, with an emphasis on including numerous visual elements and being culturally appropriate. It will offer best practices plus some tips on things such as how to put in images, crop and resize them, etc.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-MU-MU-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.