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2021 Indian Law Section Award  – THANK YOU MEMBERS!

The Indian Law Section provides a voice for members on issues of state and national concern affecting Indian country.  One recent issue tackled by the Section resulted in a broad-based legislative amendment to Oregon state law regarding full faith and credit for tribal court orders, judgments, and decrees. Beginning in 2018, section members wrote extensive analysis requested by Chief Justice Martha Walters and provided testimony to the Oregon State Bar. During the multi-year effort, section members also provided testimony on those amendments before the Oregon Legislative Assembly and sought feedback on language from as many interested stakeholders as possible. A truly collaborative and bi-partisan effort, the proposed amendment passed unanimously, and was signed into law by Governor Kate Brown in June 2020. 

For its work on this effort, the Indian Law Section membership at-large received the Oregon State Bar’s President’s Membership Service Award. Named members included Martha Klein Izenson, Sarah Sabri, Naomi Stacy, Stephanie Striffler, and Kristen Winemiller. Of note, Judge William Johnson, Chief Judge of Umatilla Tribal Court, received the President’s Special Award of Appreciation for his decades-long participation in moving this issue forward.

A full article, written by the Oregon State Bar Bulletin’s frequent contributor Janey Haas and published in the August/September 2021 issue, can be found here. 

Judge William Johnson has also been profiled for his many years of efforts in passing the full faith and credit law by OPB and the East Oregonian.