About 200 people attended funeral services for Claudeen Bates-Arthur, the first woman to head the Navajo Nation Supreme Court.

Friends and family remembered Bates-Arthur as a devout Christian who was dedicated to the Navajo people. Her interest in tribal issues led her to obtain a law degree from Arizona State University and to work for her tribe in a number of legal capacities.

One of Bates-Arthur's biggest achievements was the tribe's victory on a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1985, when she was the tribe's attorney general, the court said the tribe has the right to impose taxes on oil companies on the reservation. The tribe set up a trust fund to handle the revenues.

Bates-Arthur succumbed to cancer on Saturday. She was 62.

Get the Story:
Hundreds honor late Navajo Chief Justice Claudeen Bates-Arthur (The Gallup Independent 12/1)
'Pure, hard work' can pay off (The Farmington Daily Times 12/2)

Relevant Links:
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org

Related Stories:
First woman to head Navajo Supreme Court dies (11/30)
First woman to head Navajo Nation Supreme Court (10/23)
First woman appointed to Navajo Nation Supreme Court (10/02)