Bree Black Horse ’13 first Native American named to Yakima County bench
Bree Black Horse ’13, an adjunct professor and inaugural director of Seattle University School of Law’s Central Washington Hybri
Milestones in Motion
Explore the Northwest Center for Indigenous Law's latest annual report, highlighting updates regarding scholarship, advocacy, and community partnership in service of tribal sovereignty and Indigenous justice. View the full digital booklet below.
News & Events
NCIL Secures $300K Grant to Launch Tribal Estate Planning Fellowship
The Northwest Center for Indigenous Law received a grant to launch the Tribal Estate Planning and Legal Access Fellowship.
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Fostering Future Indigenous Attorneys
The renamed Northwest Center for Indigenous Law launches a plan focused on greater access.
Indigenous Law Programs
Seattle U Law offers programs specializing in Indigenous Law and Tribal Law for both current and aspiring lawyers.
Student Opportunities & Resources
Law students can participate in co-curricular activities to deepen their involvement with Indigenous Law issues.
Community Partnerships and Legal Access
Northwest Center for Indigenous Law works with NW tribes to educate and advance Indigenous Law, Tribal Law and tribal sovereignty.
About Northwest Center for Indigenous Law
Meet the Center’s faculty and staff, and deepen your understanding of its mission.
Indigenous Voices in Law: The Admissions Journey
Learn more from this informational session on the law school application process by Admissions staff and the Northwest Center for Indigenous Law.
Presentations, Advocacy, and Activity
Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation
June 5, 2026
At Seattle U Law’s Annual Innovation and Technology Law Conference, Nazune Menka moderated a panel on cultural appropriation, while Brooke Pinkham led a discussion on Indigenous data sovereignty and the ethics of AI. Together, the sessions explored how law and emerging technologies intersect with Indigenous rights, cultural protection and self-determination.
Professor Nazune Menka teaches at the Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) in Albuquerque, NM
June, 2026
Professor Menka taught at PLSI, a free eight-week program administered by the American Indian Law Center (AILC) that prepares American Indian and Alaska Native students for law school through intensive coursework in legal research, writing, and analysis. Now in its 58th year, the program draws students representing Tribes from across the country and is considered one of the most respected Native pre-law programs in the nation.
Earth Talks 2026
April 22, 2026
At Seattle University’s 2026 Earth Talks, Professor Nazune Menka explored the intersection of Indigenous justice and environmental justice, examining how Jesuit history has shaped Indigenous communities and how Indigenous governance, relationships to land, language and law can inform more just and sustainable futures. Her talk, “Jesuit Histories and Indigenous Futures,” also considered Seattle University’s role in advancing reconciliation, decolonization and Indigenous self-determination.
Federal–State–Tribal Relationship Overview — Washington Democratic Caucus, Olympia
January, 2026
Brooke and Nazune presented at the Washington Legislative Building at the invitation of Senator Claudia Kauffman (47th Legislative District, Nez Perce). The presentation covered foundational principles of Tribal sovereignty. Several Senators expressed interest in drawing on NCIL's expertise for ongoing matters affecting Tribal sovereignty.
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Northwest Center for Indigenous Law
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