Indianz.Com > News > Navajo Nation citizen makes history as newest federal judge
Navajo Nation citizen makes history as newest federal judge
Monday, May 23, 2022
Indianz.Com
A citizen of the Navajo Nation has made history as the first Native federal judge in the state of California.
By a vote of 51 to 45 last Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sunshine Suzanne Sykes to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California. She is the first Navajo citizen to join the federal judiciary.
“On behalf of the Navajo Nation, we congratulate Judge Sykes on her historic nomination and becoming the first Diné person to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge,” President Jonathan Nez said after the historic vote. “Her upbringing, exceptional experience, and commitment to serving the public and the justice system will bring new and unique perspectives to the justice system.”
“We will
continue to pray for her continued success as she serves in the U.S. District Court and we thank her for being an inspiration to our young Navajo people,” Nez said in a news release.
Sykes, who was born on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation, has developed strong ties to California. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University and started off her professional career at the California Indian Legal Services, where she began to develop her expertise in law and policy matters affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2005, Sykes became an attorney for Riverside County, handling juvenile dependency issues and matters affecting abused and neglected children. Her work helped shape her desire to ensure that judges understand key federal laws like the Indian Child Welfare Act Then in 2013, Sykes became a judge for the Superior Court in Riverside County. She was the first Native judge in the county, which is home to more than a dozen tribes, including the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, whose leader is among those hailing her confirmation to the federal bench. “Judge Sykes’ extensive knowledge and experience are vitally important for the federal judiciary, particularly in California where countless federal Indian law issues arise among the more than 100 Tribal Nations within the state,” said Pechanga Chairman Marc Macarro, who also serves as Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians. “NCAI congratulates Judge Sykes on her historic confirmation and furthering the representation of Natives in the federal judiciary,” Macarro said in a news release. “It is critical, now more than ever, that more qualified American Indians and Alaska Natives be appointed to the federal courts, especially given how much of tribal life is controlled by federal law and the courts’ interpretations of those laws.”President Nez commends the historic confirmation of Diné woman, Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, to serve as U.S. District Court Judge pic.twitter.com/R0X9n3abEA
— Jonathan Nez (@NezForAZ) May 19, 2022
Even though California is home to more than the largest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives, the federal judiciary has never fully reflected their interests until now. As a judge for the Central District, Sykes would be assigned cases affecting tribal interests in seven counties, including Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara. “Over the past nine years, she has presided over nearly 100 cases,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) said of Sykes and her work in Riverside County. “She will bring an impressive legal record, work ethic, and sense of empathy to her judgeship for the Central District,” Padilla said in support of Sykes during a speech on the Senate floor last Wednesday, ahead of the confirmation vote. As a member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Padilla helped advance Sykes’s nomination in the chamber. In his floor speech, he noted that “our current federal bench is not representative of the diversity of our democracy.”NCAI and the @NDNrights congratulate Judge Sunshine Sykes (Navajo) on her confirmation to serve as California’s first-ever Native American federal judge.
— National Congress of American Indians (@NCAI1944) May 19, 2022
Read the full joint statement:
🔗 https://t.co/sBeAr7WU5l pic.twitter.com/olI6rxqhoo
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