This is a dynamic list of Native Americans who are or were judges, magistrate judges, court commissioners, administrative law judges or tribal court judges. If known, it will be listed if a judge has served on multiple courts and their tribal membership.
Judge | Court/agency and years of service (if known) | State/territory | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abby Abinanti (Yurok) [1] | San Francisco Superior Court (Commissioner: c. 1990–2011; 2014–2015); Yurok Tribal Court (1997–present; Chief Judge: 2007–present) | California | active | |
Dawn Baum (Menominee) [2] | Yurok Tribal Court (appt. 2017-2023) | California | deceased | |
Jessica R. Bear (Meshwaki Nation) [3] | Meskwaki Nation Tribal Court (2007–2013; Chief Judge: 2013–present) | Iowa | active | |
Jennifer D. Benally (Navajo) [4] | District Court for the Navajo Nation (1984–1995) | Arizona | deceased | |
Robert A. Blaeser (Anishinaabe) [5] | Fourth Judicial District-Hennepin County (1995–2012) | Minnesota | retired | |
Evelyne Bradley (Navajo) [4] | Kayenta Judicial Court (1998–2014) | Arizona | active | |
Leo Brisbois (White Earth Band of Ojibwe) [6] | United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (Magistrate Judge) (2010–present) | Minnesota | active | |
Sandy Dexter Brooks (Lumbee) [7] [8] | Robeson County Superior Court | North Carolina | deceased | |
Ada E. Brown (Choctaw Nation) [9] | Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas (2013–2019); United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (2019–present) | Texas | active | |
Michelle Brown-Yazzie (Navajo Nation) [10] | Mescalero Apache Tribal Court (2011–present; Brown-Yazzie has served as a Chief Judge) | New Mexico | active | |
Michael Burrage (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) [11] | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma/United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma/United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma (1994–2001; Chief Judge: 1996–2001) | Oklahoma | resigned | |
Brooke Locklear Clark (Lumbee) [12] | Robeson County District Court (2018–present) | North Carolina | active | |
Chantel Cloud (Southern Ute) [13] | Southern Ute Tribal Court (2013–2018) | Colorado | inactive | |
Charles Cloud (Cherokee Nation) [10] | Norfolk General District Court | Virginia | retired | |
Shirley Cogswell (Passamaquoddy) [14] | Pleasant Point – Passamaquoddy Tribal Court | Maine | deceased | |
Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) [15] | Supreme Court of the Pawnee Nation | Oklahoma | active | |
Eldena Bear Don’t Walk (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) [16] | Chief Justice of the Crow Tribe (2007–2011) | Montana | inactive | |
Fred W. Gabourie (Seneca people) [17] [18] [19] | Los Angeles County Municipal Court (appointed 1976) | California | retired | |
Carrie Garrow (Akwesasne) [20] | St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Court | New York | active | |
Tina Glory-Jordan (Cherokee) [21] | Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice (2023–present) | Oklahoma | active | |
Lydia Kay Griggsby [22] | United States Court of Federal Claims (2014–2021); United States District Court for the District of Maryland (2021–present) | Maryland | active | |
Keith Harper (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) [23] | Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's Appellate Court (2001–2007); Supreme Court of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (2007–2008) | Montana | inactive | |
P.J. Herne (Akwesasne) [24] | St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Court (Chief Judge: appt. 2008) | New York | inactive | |
Sara E. Hill [22] | United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma (2023–present) | Oklahoma | active | |
Gilbert Horn Sr. (Assiniboine) [25] | Fort Belknap Tribal Juvenile Court | Montana | deceased | |
Diane Humetewa (Hopi) [26] | Hopi Appellate Court (2002–2007); United States District Court for the District of Arizona (2014–present) | Arizona | active | |
Joey Jayne (Navajo) [27] [28] | Justice of the Peace in Lake and Sanders Counties (2012–2014) | Montana | resigned | |
William Bluehouse Johnson (Pueblo of Isleta) [29] | Isleta Pueblo Appellate Court | New Mexico | active | |
William D. Johnson (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation) [30] | Umatilla Tribal Court (1980–present; Chief Judge: 1988–present) | Oregon | active | |
B.J. Jones [31] | Chief Judge of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Court, Chief Judge of the Prairie Island Indian Community Court, Chief Justice of the Turtle Mountain Tribal Court of Appeals, Special Magistrate of the Non-Removable Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court, Associate Judge for the Fort Berthold District Court, Associate Judge for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Court, Associate Justice for the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court and the Flandreau-Santee Sioux Tribal Courts, Deputy Judge for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe | North Dakota | inactive | |
Lauren J. King (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) [32] | Northwest Intertribal Court System (2013–2021); United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (2021–present) | Washington | active | |
Gary Larance (Hopi) [33] | Bishop Paiute Tribe Court (2020–present) | California | active | |
Stacy Leeds (Cherokee) [34] | Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice (2002–2006) | Oklahoma | retired | |
Ira Left Hand Sr. (Crow) [35] | Tribal Court of the Crow Indian Reservation (c. 1980) | Montana | deceased | |
Patricia Lenzi (St. Regis Mohawk Tribe) [36] | Court of Appeals, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (2012– ; Chief Judge: 2020) | California | active | |
Brad Letts (Cherokee) [37] | North Carolina 30th Judicial District Court (2000–2019) | North Carolina | retired | |
Gilbert M. Lopez [38] [39] | Los Angeles County Superior Court (2001–2020) | California | retired | |
Phil Lujan (Kiowa) [40] | Citizen Potawatomi Nation Judge | Oklahoma | active | |
Merwin Lynch (Navajo) [41] | Puerco District of Apache County (Justice of the Peace); Navajo Nation Supreme Court | Arizona | deceased | |
Kelly K.E. Mahoney (Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma) [42] | United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (2016–present) | Iowa | active | |
Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) [43] | Michigan Court of Appeals (2023–present) | Michigan | active | |
John Manydeeds (Standing Rock Sioux) [44] [45] | Eau Claire County Court (2016–present) | Wisconsin | active | |
Joshua D. Malcolm (Lumbee) [46] | Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (2017–present) | North Carolina | active | |
John Martin (Cherokee) [47] | Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation (c. 1820s) | Tennessee | deceased | |
Lacy Maynor (Lumbee) [48] | Maxton Recorder's Court (c. 1950s) | North Carolina | deceased | |
Angelica Chavis McIntyre (Lumbee) [12] | Robeson County District Court (2018–present) | North Carolina | active | |
Anne McKeig (White Earth Band of Ojibwe) [49] | Minnesota Fourth District Court (2008–2016); Minnesota Supreme Court (2016–present) | Minnesota | active | |
Robert Medina (Zia Pueblo) [50] [51] | Pueblo of Isleta Tribal Court & Justice; Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals | New Mexico | active | |
Arvo Mikkanen (Comanche/Kiowa) [52] | Court of Indian Offenses for the Anadarko Area Tribes (1988–1994); Supreme Court of the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes (1991–1994). | Oklahoma | inactive | |
Andrea Miller [53] | 12th Judicial District Court (2017– ) | Nebraska | active | |
Mark A. Montour (St. Regis Mohawk) [54] | New York State Supreme Court (2013–present) | New York | active | |
Raquel Montoya-Lewis (Pueblo of Laguna) [55] | Whatcom County Superior Court (2015–2020); Washington Supreme Court (2020–present) | Washington | active | |
Debra O’Gara (Tlingit) [56] | Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) Tribal Court (2007–present) | Alaska | active | |
Richard Osburn (Cherokee Nation) [57] | Mille Lacs Band Tribal Court (2008–2014) | Minnesota | inactive | |
Patricia Paul (Iñupiat) [58] | Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Tribal Court | Oregon | active | |
Mary Peltola (Yup'ik) [59] [60] | Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court (2020–2021) | Alaska | retired | |
James Phillips (Cherokee) [61] | Grays Harbor County Superior Court (1929–1950) | Washington | deceased | |
Joseph Plumer (Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians) [62] | Meskwaki Nation Tribal Court (2005–present; Plumer has served as a Chief Judge) | Iowa | active | |
David Raasch (Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians) [63] | Stockbridge Munsee Tribal Court (elected in 2009) | Wisconsin | inactive | |
Angela R. Riley (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) [64] | Citizen Potawatomi Nation Supreme Court (2003–2010; Chief Justice: 2010–present) | Oklahoma | active | |
Dustin Rowe (Chickasaw) [65] [66] | Chickasaw Nation District Court (2005–2019); Oklahoma Supreme Court (2019–present) | Oklahoma | active | |
Steve Russell (Cherokee) [67] | Austin Municipal Court (1978–1982); Travis County Court of Law No. 2 (1982–1995) | Texas | retired | |
Deborah L. Sanchez (Chumash) [68] | Los Angeles County Superior Court (2006–present) | California | active | |
Frank Howell Seay (Cherokee) [69] | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma (1979–present) | Oklahoma | inactive | |
Debra Shopteese (Sac and Fox Nation) [70] [71] | Massachusetts State District Court (2011–present) | Massachusetts | active | |
Barbara Smith (Chickasaw Nation) [72] | District Court Judge for the Chickasaw Nation; Supreme Court of the Chickasaw Nation | Oklahoma | deceased | |
Terri Smith (Northern Arapaho Tribe) [73] | Wind River Indian Reservation Tribal Court | Wyoming | resigned | |
George W. Soule (White Earth Nation) [74] | White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals | Minnesota | active | |
Melvin R. Stoof (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) [75] | Pascua Yaqui Trial Court (2004–present) | Arizona | active | |
Sunshine Sykes (Navajo) [22] [76] | Riverside County Superior Court (2013–2022); United States District Court for the Central District of California (2022– ) | California | active | |
William A. Thorne, Jr. (Pomo) [77] | Utah Court of Appeals (1986–2013) | Utah | retired | |
Jill E. Tompkins (Penobscot) [14] | Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Court of Appeals (2002) | Maine | active | |
Margaret Seelye Treuer (Ojibwe) [78] | Bois Forte Tribal Court; Leach Lake Tribal Court; United States District Court of Minnesota (U.S. Magistrate) | Minnesota | deceased | |
Rebecca Tsosie (Yaqui) [79] | San Carlos Apache Court of Appeals (2007–2024); Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Supreme Court (2008–present) | Arizona | active | |
Carol Jean Vigil (Pueblo) [80] | New Mexico 1st Judicial District Judge (1998–2005) | New Mexico | deceased | |
Philip Viles (Cherokee) [81] | Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation (1976–2002; Viles served as Chief Justice during his tenure); Supreme Court of Georgia (Sitting judge: 1993) | Oklahoma | retired | |
Korey Wahwassuck (Cree) [82] | Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court; Minnesota Ninth Judicial District | Minnesota | active | |
Sarah Wheelock (Meskwaki) [83] [84] | Minnesota Court of Appeals (2021– ) | Minnesota | active | |
Claudette C. White (Quechan Indian Tribe) [85] | San Manuel Tribal Court (Chief Judge: 2018–2021) | California | deceased | |
Ronald J. Whitener (Squaxin Island Tribe) [86] | Northwest Intertribal Court of Appeals; Chehalis Tribal Court of Appeals; Upper Skagit Tribal Court of Appeals | Washington | active | |
Samuel Winder (Southern Ute) [87] | New Mexico Second Judicial District Court (2011–present) | New Mexico | active | |
Joseph J. Wiseman [88] | Northern California Intertribal Court; Court of Appeals, Round Valley Indian Tribes | California | active |
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the concept of the inherent authority of Indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States.
Stacy L. Leeds is an American law professor, scholar, and former Supreme Court Justice for the Cherokee Nation. She served as Dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, from 2011-2018, the first Indigenous woman to lead a law school. She was a candidate for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 2007. In 2024, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.
Diane Joyce Humetewa is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Humetewa is the first Native American woman and the first enrolled tribal member to serve as a U.S. federal judge. She previously served as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona from 2007 to 2009. Humetewa is also a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina. The tribe represents Lumbee people. They do not hold federal recognition as a Native American tribe. All three Cherokee tribes — the Eastern Band, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — have denied that the Lumbee are their own tribe, instead insisting they are Cherokee, and are vocal opponents of granting the Lumbee federal recognition.
Wilhelmina Marie Wright is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. She is the only jurist in Minnesota's history to be state district court judge, appellate court judge and state supreme court justice. She was formerly an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and a judge of the Minnesota District Court, Second Judicial District.
Anne K. McKeig is an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. She is its first Native American justice and the first Native American Woman to serve on any State Supreme Court. She was a judge of the Minnesota Fourth District Court in Hennepin County from 2008 to 2016.
Arlinda Locklear is an American lawyer of Native American origin from the Lumbee tribe. Locklear, who is often cited as the first Native American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, has actually followed in the footsteps of Lyda Conley, who was the first Native American and Native American woman admitted to argue a case before the US Supreme Court. Locklear is noted as an expert in Native American law and tribal recognition litigation. She represented the Lumbee tribe in its quest for federal recognition from 1987 until 2010.
Ada Elene Brown is an American lawyer who is a district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She is a former trial judge of the Dallas County courts and a former Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas. She was the first African-American woman federal judge nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate. She is also the first African American woman to sit as a federal judge in the 140- year-history of the Northern District of Texas.
Raquel Devahl Montoya-Lewis is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court. She was nominated by Governor Jay Inslee on December 4, 2019, to fill the seat of retiring justice Mary Fairhurst.
McGirt v. Oklahoma, 591 U.S. ___ (2020), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case which held that the domain reserved for the Muscogee Nation by Congress in the 19th century has never been disestablished and constitutes Indian country for the purposes of the Major Crimes Act, meaning that the State of Oklahoma has no right to prosecute American Indians for crimes allegedly committed therein. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals applied the McGirt rationale to rule nine other Indigenous nations had not been disestablished. As a result, almost the entirety of the eastern half of what is now the State of Oklahoma remains Indian country, meaning that criminal prosecutions of Native Americans for offenses therein falls outside the jurisdiction of Oklahoma’s court system. In these cases, jurisdiction properly vests within the Indigenous judicial systems and the federal district courts under the Major Crimes Act.
David E. Wilkins, a citizen of the Lumbee Nation, is a political scientist specializing in federal Indian policy and law. He is the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies in the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies and professor emeritus of the University of Minnesota. He studies Indigenous politics, governance, and legal systems, with a particular focus on Native American sovereignty, self-determination, and diplomacy. Wilkins was a student and friend of Vine Deloria Jr., coauthoring two books with Deloria and producing three books about his intellectual impact.
Sarah Wheelock is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She was appointed to the court by Governor Tim Walz on December 1, 2021, and assumed office on January 10, 2022.
Sara Elizabeth Hill is a Cherokee and American attorney who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma since 2024. She previously served as the attorney general of the Cherokee Nation from August 2019 to August 2023 and as the tribe's secretary of natural resources between October 2015 and August 2019.