NAICJA 2006 Annual Meeting and Tribal Judges Conference

NAICJA 37th Annual Meeting & Conference

Seattle, Washington
October 30 - November 1, 2006

Click here to download the conference program.

The National American Indian Court Judge's Association (NAICJA) held its annual meeting and conference in Seattle, Washington on October 30 - November 1, 2006. The conference was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Seattle Downtown. This year the conference theme is “Tribal Courts Assuring our Future: Sovereignty, Accountability, and Competence”. This conference is the only conference of its kind dedicated to bringing together tribal court judges.

In addition to our annual membership meeting, there were sessions such as Judicial Ethics, A Progress Report on the Tribal Courts Evaluation, Recent Developments in Indian Law, and Peacemaking in addition to other sessions. NAICJA invited Joe Garcia, President of the National Congress of American Indians, to be our keynote speaker. Billy Frank, local elder and activist in the Northwest, was also invited to be our luncheon speaker. NAICJA invited Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander and Justice Owens to speak as well.

In conjunction with the Annual Conference, NAICJA hosted sessions for tribal court clerks as well. Tribal court clerks are a vital part of the tribal justice system. It is important for clerks to remain informed of developments in judicial decisions, ethics, and the like. NAICJA welcomes the tribal court clerks to our Annual Conference.

NAICJA chose Seattle as the conference site for your enjoyment and pleasure. Additionally, NAICJA wished to make it easier for those from Alaska to travel to our Conference. For those of you who have never been to Seattle, it is steps away from some of the best music, food, coffee and nightlife in the country.

The NAICJA conference hosted a vendor exposition to allow NAICJA members the opportunity to learn about the latest in court technology and spend time meeting with vendors to explore possible courtroom solutions.

The National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) is the largest organization representing Tribal Judges and Tribal Courts. NAICJA was incorporated in 1969, making it one of the oldest Indian organizations in existence. NAICJA has member Judges from Tribes throughout the United States.

The mission of NAICJA is to strengthen and enhance all Tribal justice systems through improvement and development of Tribal Courts and Tribal Court Judges. The National Tribal Justice Resource Center was established by the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) under a one-year grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U.S. Department of Justice on September 1, 2000

Questions and comments regarding the conference may be directed to the National American Indian Court Judges Association at 303-245-0786; mail@naicja.org.