The Resurgence of Tribal Courts: A Tribal Judge's Perspective

by Barbara Armstrong  |   

Tribal Judge David Voluck on the resurgence of Alaska Native tribal courts and their relationship to the movement for Alaska Native tribal sovereignty on November 18, 2013 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. Judges from Kenaitze Indian Tribe Tribal Court also attended the event and participated in the question and answer session. Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., was the faculty coordinator for this event.

Judge Voluck, an attorney in Sitka, was appointed Chief Judge of the Sitka Tribal Court in 2008, Magistrate/Judge for the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes in 2010, and Presiding Judge Pro Tem for the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government in 2012. His legal experience includes work for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and as a member of the law firm of Landye, Bennett, and Blumstein, LLP. Judge Voluck is the co-author with David Case of the legal treatise Alaska Natives and American Laws. He is a noted lecturer on a variety of topics related to Indian law, tribal courts, Native culture, and their interplay with religion.

Tribal Judge David Voluck (at podium) presents a context for tribal courts and Native law.
Tribal Judge David Voluck (at podium) presents a context for tribal courts and Native law.

Event resources

 

(From left to right:) Kenaitze Tribal Court Judge Rusty Swan, Tribal Court Judge David Voluck, Kenaitze Chief Tribal Court Judge Kim Sweet, Kenaitze Tribal Court Judge Susan Wells, and Prof Ryan Fortson, UAA Justice Center. Photo by Barbara Armstrong
From left to right: Kenaitze Tribal Court Judge Rusty Swan, Tribal Court Judge David Voluck, Kenaitze Chief Tribal Court Judge Kim Sweet, Kenaitze Tribal Court Judge Susan Wells, and Ryan Fortson, UAA Justice Center. Photo by Barbara Armstrong