Tribal Laws & Justice

The Mystery Writers of America, Northwest Chapter, will be presenting a rich program 15 October for writers wanting to learn about tribal laws and justice. It’s online (Zoom) and only $10 or $25.

You need something unusual and unique for your plot. The protagonist travels to a tribal casino for a little recreational gambling or enjoy a dinner at the casino’s fab restaurant. His server is a Native American woman who later disappears that night. And he becomes the prime suspect? Who has jurisdiction in the case? The Feds, the tribe, or the county? Or your protagonist gets a DUI on tribal lands. Who handles the case?

These and other questions will be addressed by experts dealing with these and other tribal issues during the Chapter Seminar on Tribal Juridiction Matters.  

Register at Eventbrite today!!!

Ticket holders can join us Saturday, OCTOBER 15, from 9 AM to 3 PM – or view the recorded event later – or both!

     MWA-Northwest is thrilled to present five distinguished speakers, serving both local and distant tribal nations, to discuss the impact of jurisdictional issues between the tribes and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

  • Suquamish Tribal Police Chief Mike Lasnier has over 35 years of law enforcement service and experience.
  • Suquamish Tribal Deputy Police Chief Mark L. Williams sits on several tribal, county, and state collaborations focused on helping criminals reentering society upon release from jail or prison in an effort to reduce recidivism. Additionally, he is the sole representative for all U.S. tribes on the Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reporting modernization project.
  • DAN RAAS spent 39 years representing the Lummi Nation in Whatcom County. He served as an Associate Justice and later Chief Justice on the Tulalip Court of Appeals.
  • MIKE MCBRIDE has served as attorney general for the Seminole Nation, as justice of the Pawnee Nation Supreme Court as attorney general to the Sac and Fox Nation.
  • TROY EID currently serves as the elected President of the Navajo Nation Bar Association. He has also served as chair of the Indian Law and Order Commission (the national advisory board to the President and Congress for strengthening public safety for all 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States.