TRIBAL ALERT: The Indian Child Welfare Act Stands, Thank You Tribes
CILS wants to thank all 72 California tribes and 11 Indian organizations who signed on to the amicus curiae brief in the Brackeen v. Bernhardt (formerly Brackeen v. Zinke) case, which was challenging the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The case has been pending before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals for over five months. Finally, on […]
Escondido Directing Attorney Mark Vezzola Speaks at the California Kaleidoscope Event
On July 27, 2019, Escondido Directing Attorney Mark Vezzola spoke at a day-long event in Los Angeles called “California Kaleidoscope: Exploring the Intersectionality of Diverse Groups,” hosted by the Iranian American Lawyer’s Association in association with the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. Mark, along with Vida Castaneda, Senior Analyst at the Center […]
CILS Hosts Summer Law Clerk DaNikka Huss
This summer the Escondido Office was fortunate to host DaNikka Huss, a second-year law student at the James E. Rogers School of Law at the University of Arizona, as a law clerk. “DaNikka came to CILS with more federal Indian and tribal law knowledge than most law clerks. She previously worked for her tribe, the […]
CILS Receives $55,000 Donation from San Manuel Band’s 21st Annual Golf Tournament
On July 16th and July 17th, over 600 golfers teed off at the Pelican Hill Resort Club in Newport Beach for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ 21st Annual Golf Tournament. Each year the San Manuel Tribe sponsors the golf tournament to raise money for charitable organizations. This year the tournament raised over $275,000.00 […]
CILS is Pleased to Announce the Recent Hire of Michael Godbe
Michael Godbe joins CILS as a Staff Attorney in the Bishop office. Michael will assist the tribes, Indian organizations, and native populations in Inyo, Mono, Tuolumne, Kern, and Alpine Counties. Michael will also provide legal services to low-income and senior individuals through two programs unique to CILS’ Bishop office: the Eastern Sierra Legal Assistance Project and the […]
Why California’s Native Americans Deserve More Than an Apology
By CILS Executive Director Dorothy Alther and Cary Lowe, a lawyer and a former member of CILS’ Board of Trustees Printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune June 27, 2019 Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order apologizing to California’s Native American population for nearly two centuries of “violence, exploitation, dispossession and the attempted destruction of tribal communities” is a welcome […]
