Loretta Lynch. Photo by Pete Souza / White House
The leader of the Department of Justice is making her first visit to Alaska this week. Attorney General Loretta Lynch will meet with Native leaders in Anchorage on Friday to discuss public safety and other concerns. The visit is significant because it marks the start of a new government-to-government relationship between the department and Alaska tribes. In contrast to reservations in the lower 48, federal authorities have not strongly asserted a trust responsibility in Alaska Native communities. Alaska tribes, as a result, have been left out of key law enforcement, tribal court and justice initiatives. The situation has been slowly changing as Congress and the Obama administration have recognized the unique challenges facing rural Native villages. A major turning point came when Vice President Joe Biden called for Alaska tribes to be included in the Violence Against Women Act. "We need to give the nations of Alaska the same authority" to prosecute non-Indian domestic violence offenders, Biden said to loud applause at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in December 2014. Congress enacted S.1474, the Alaska Safe Families and Villages Act, within days and President Barack Obama signed the bill into law later that month. Another turning point came when the Bureau of Indian Affairs included Alaska tribes in the land-into-trust process. Although the rule is on hold due to a court challenge tribes expect it will help them resolve jurisdiction and other issues. The meeting between Lynch and Native leaders will take place at the offices of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native corporation.
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