News and Events

“I will be the first tribal member to earn a law degree. And now, some of my students want to attend law school.” Angela Levasseur is certain people would wonder why she applied to law school at age 41. The enrolled member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, who lives on her reservation in northern Manitoba, …

Mitchell Hamline student planning post-graduation work for her tribe’s self-determination and self-sufficiency.

  Mitchell Hamline Professor Colette Routel has been named to the bench in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The appointment, announced Thursday by Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, was one of two made to fill vacancies in the Fourth Judicial District that will occur with the retirements of Judges Margaret Daly ‘81 and Kathleen …

Mitchell Hamline Professor Colette Routel appointed to judgeship

Annika Sanora and Ge-Waden Dunkley After finals ended last winter, Mitchell Hamline students Ge-Waden Dunkley, Annika Sanora, and Alia Hawkins got to work. They weren’t getting a head start on the spring semester but rather answering a call from Professor Colette Routel, seeking help on a brief she was co-writing in a case over tribal …

Students, professor contribute to Supreme Court case over tribal police authority

‘I want to help them self-determine’ Jessie Stomski Seim ’08 remembers her dad driving down St. Paul’s historic Summit Avenue, admiring the Victorian homes and dropping hints while passing William Mitchell College of Law’s iconic building. “‘You would be a great lawyer,’” she recalls him saying. “‘Wouldn’t it be cool if you went there?’” Those …

Prairie Island general counsel helps tribe protect reservation, expand governance

Prospective J.D. students are invited to join the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute co-directors and current students studying Native American law to learn about the curriculum, advocacy efforts, and the law school experience. Tuesday, March 16, 2021 6 pm (CDT) Online SIGN UP HERE Thursday, May 20, 2021 10 am (CDT) Online SIGN UP …

Join us: Native American Law Information Sessions on March 16 and May 20

Mitchell Hamline professor Angelique EagleWoman spent Election Day making history – not by winning office but by entering it. Donning a mask with her 16-year old son nearby, EagleWoman swore the oath to become the newest associate justice on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Supreme Court of Appeals. The ceremony happened on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South …

Mitchell Hamline professor Angelique EagleWoman sworn in as tribal Supreme Court justice

November is Native American Heritage Month, an ideal time to remember the historical, political, intellectual, and legal contributions of Indigenous peoples in North America and specifically in the United States. Tribal nations entered into nation-to-nation treaty agreements with the newly formed United States in “perpetual peace and friendship” from the late 1700s through the late …

Marking 30 years of Native American Heritage Month

This year’s American Indian Law Review national writing competition is now welcoming papers from students at accredited law schools in the United States and Canada.  Papers will be accepted on any legal issue specifically concerning American Indians or other indigenous peoples.  Three cash prizes will be awarded: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for …

Announcing the 2020-2021 American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition

Mitchell Hamline’s Indian Law Program will now be known as the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute. The commitment to this area of law has deep roots in both of Mitchell Hamline’s legacy schools, with Co-Director Colette Routel as the longest-serving steward of the program since it began in 2009. The change helps highlight the importance …

Indian Law Program renamed Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute