NARF has published three videos on YouTube marking 25 years of the Tribal Supreme Court Project. The videos tell a story about coordinated advocacy and the work still ahead. Together, they trace the Project’s origins, show how its strategy shaped cases such as McGirt and Brackeen, and consider next steps, including earlier work in lower courts, stronger factual records, and pathways for Native attorneys to argue before the Supreme Court.
The third and future-facing video names a gap I wrote about last month. University of Colorado Law School University Distinguished Professor and Nicholas Doman Professor of International Law S. James Anaya, who argued Nevada v. Hicks in 2001, was the last Native attorney to argue before the Supreme Court. The Project’s next chapter, the speakers say, must include mentorship and pathways to a Native Supreme Court practice bar.
The videos celebrate what coordination has made possible. They also address the question of how Indian Country can work to ensure Native advocates have the opportunity to stand at the lectern in future Supreme Court oral arguments.
