{"id":11423,"date":"2021-05-13T14:33:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T18:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11423"},"modified":"2021-05-13T14:39:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T18:39:00","slug":"indian-country-cheers-nomination-of-muscogee-nation-citizen-to-federal-bench","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/13\/indian-country-cheers-nomination-of-muscogee-nation-citizen-to-federal-bench\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country cheers nomination of Muscogee Nation citizen to federal bench"},"content":{"rendered":"\"laurenking\"
Lauren J. King. Photo courtesy Foster Garvey<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Indian Country cheers nomination of Muscogee Nation citizen to federal bench<\/div>\r\n
Thursday, May 13, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nA citizen of the Muscogee Nation<\/a> is set to make history as the first Native person to serve as a federal judge<\/a> in Washington state.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nLauren J. King<\/a>, an attorney, will be nominated to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington<\/a>, the White House announced on Wednesday. Should she be confirmed by the U.S. Senate<\/a>, she will only be the third active Native judge in the nation.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nIn seeking to join the ranks of the federal judiciary, King brings a broad range of Indian law and policy experience to the bench. She has served as a judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System <\/a>, which serves more than 20 tribes in the Pacific Northwest, and as a member of the Washington State Gambling Commission<\/a>, which oversees government-to-government gaming compact negotiations<\/a> with tribal nations.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nKing also has significant experience in protecting tribal sovereignty in the federal court system. She was part of the legal team that secured victories for tribal treaty rights in Washington<\/a> in a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court<\/a>.\r\n

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Lauren J. King, attorney and Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen, is being nominated to serve on the federal bench! If confirmed, King would be the FIRST Native federal judge in Washington state history and only the third active Native federal judge. @fostergarveylaw @MvskokeRez<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\n\u201cNCAI strongly supports the nomination of Lauren J. King, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, as the first ever Native American judge to serve on a federal bench in Washington state,\u201d President Fawn Sharp<\/a> of the National Congress of American Indians<\/a> said in a statement on Wednesday<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \u201cWashington state is home to 29 federally recognized Indian tribes, making it critical that its federal judges better reflect the communities they serve and understand the unique histories of Native peoples and the legal principles that protect and preserve our standing under federal law,\u201d said Sharp.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nKing’s sovereignty work extends to her people as well. She served on the Mvskoke Reservation Protection Commission<\/a>, which the Muscogee Nation established last year after the landmark Supreme Court decision<\/a> that confirmed the continued existence of the tribe’s reservation.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cThe Muscogee Nation applauds President Biden\u2019s judicial nomination of Lauren King for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington,\u201d the tribe said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cAs a Muscogee citizen and a woman, this nomination continues a welcome trend of Native women at the forefront of consideration for positions of leadership and influence in our country. Ms. King has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the legal field that includes positions as a Judge, practitioner and instructor.\u201d\r\n

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NCAI and @ndnrights release a joint statement on President Biden\u2019s nomination of Washington state\u2019s first ever Native American federal judge \u2013 read the full statement: https:\/\/t.co\/gupcoqwVda<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nKing’s experience also includes the greater Indian legal community. She serves on the National Native American Bar Association, the Northwest Tribal Court Judges Association, the Northwest Indian Bar Association and is the Indian Law Section Conference Chair for the Federal Bar Association.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cMs. King is a highly respected Native American attorney whose background and experience has prepared her well for the federal bench,\u201d said John Echohawk, the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund<\/a>. \u201cWe congratulate Ms. King and encourage the United States Senate to act swiftly on her confirmation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n

<\/P>\r\nOut of 890 active federal judicial positions, only two are held by Native people. Both happen to be Native women. \r\n

<\/p>\r\nDiane Humetewa<\/a>, a citizen of the Hopi Tribe who was nominated to the bench by Barack Obama, serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona<\/a>. She was the first Native woman to join the federal judiciary, having been confirmed back in May 2014.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAda Brown<\/a>, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation<\/a>, serves as judge for the Northern District of Texas<\/a>. She was nominated by Donald Trump and was confirmed in September 2019<\/a>, making her the first African-American woman judge for that court.\r\n

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