Law

North Dakota court reprimands ex-attorney for Oglala Sioux Tribe

Friday, June 12, 2015

Bernice Delorme

The North Dakota Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded an Indian attorney who has faced disciplinary actions in multiple jurisdictions.

Last summer, the Supreme Court of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota issued a public reprimand of attorney Bernice C. Delorme. She was found to have "impugned" the reputation of former chief judge Patrick Lee and of the tribe's court itself.

Delorme, while acting in her official capacity as general counsel for the tribe, had accused Lee of favoritism. She implied that he ruled in favor of a plaintiff because he was a "pal" of his, The Native Sun News reported in July 2014.

Delorme continued to work for the tribe for a few more months but lost her position after a new slate of council members came on board in December, The Lakota Country Times reported.

That wasn't the end of the matter, though. Since Delorme is admitted to practice in North Dakota, the tribe's reprimand caught the attention of that state's disciplinary board.

The rules of the North Dakota court system allow for "reciprocal discipline" for any lawyer who has been punished in "another jurisdiction."

Delorme initially did not respond to the disciplinary board, according to the North Dakota Supreme Court. But she eventually filed a request against a reprimand on May 6.

The court, however, did not find Delorme to be persuasive. A per curiam order called for a reprimand.

"The record reflects that the Supreme Court of the Oglala Sioux Nation filed an order publicly reprimanding Delorme for making a false statement to a court regarding a former judge, impugning his judicial integrity and the integrity of the Oglala Sioux courts," the court's order stated.

The order marks yet another time Delorme has been disciplined. She was reprimanded in Washington in 2010, suspended in North Dakota in 2011 and suspended in Washington in 2012. She also was reprimanded in South Dakota, according to The Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Judges, Attorneys and Public Officials.

Despite her 2014 reprimand, Delrome tried to secure an in-house counsel position with the Oglala Sioux Tribe earlier this year, The Lakota Country Times reported. She was not selected for the job.

Delorme is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota.

North Dakota Supreme Court Decision:
In the Matter of the Reciprocal Discipline of Bernice C. Delorme, a Member of the Bar of the State of North Dakota (June 10, 2015)