Following the tragic death of George Floyd, the targeted Atlanta murders in March 2021, and the January 2022 Jewish hate crime, the Arizona Law community responded. The gallery directly below is a visual collection of statements condemning those acts written and shared by Arizona Law student groups and Dean Marc Miller. Those statements are also collected in PDF below.
Collected with those statements is a selection of scholarship and opinion produced by Arizona Law faculty exploring the various topics and issues found in this guide. A number of links in the AZ Law Scholarship Section direct users to relevant content on other guide pages. All material was curated from our Faculty Scholarship Database.
Criminal Justice and Police Reform
Please see “Criminal Justice and Police Reform” in the Racial Justice section and the (Im)migration Rights section for further insight to this content area.
Gender Inequality
Please see “Intersectionality” in the Racial Justice section, and the LGBTQIA+ Rights section, and the (Im)migration Rights section for further insight to this content area.
Immigration
Arizona Firestorm. Arizona Senate Bill 1070: Politics through Immigration Law by In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a controversial immigration bill (SB 1070) that led to a news media frenzy, copycat bills in twenty-two states, and a U.S. Supreme Court battle that put Arizona at the cross-hairs of the immigration debate. Arizona Firestorm brings together well-respected experts from across the political spectrum to examine and contextualize the political, economic, historical, and legal issues prompted by this and other anti-Latino and anti-immigrant legislation and state actions. It also addresses the news media's role in shaping immigration discourse in Arizona and around the globe. Arizona is a case study of the roots and impact of the 21st century immigration challenge. Arizona Firestorm will be of interest to scholars and students in communication, public policy, state politics, federalism, and anyone interested in immigration policy or Latino politics.
Strange Neighbors by Since its founding, the U.S. has struggled with issues of federalism and states' rights. In almost every area of law, from abortion to zoning, conflicts arise between the states and the federal government over which entity is best suited to create and enforce laws. In the last decade, immigration has been on the front lines of this debate, with states such as Arizona taking an extremely assertive role in policing immigrants within their borders. While Arizona and its notorious SB 1070 is the most visible example of states claiming expanded responsibility to make and enforce immigration law, it is far from alone. An ordinance in Hazelton, Pennsylvania prohibited landlords from renting to the undocumented. Several states have introduced legislation to deny citizenship to babies who are born to parents who are in the United States without authorization. Other states have also enacted legislation aimed at driving out unauthorized migrants. Strange Neighbors explores the complicated and complicating role of the states in immigration policy and enforcement, including voices from both sides of the debate. While many contributors point to the dangers inherent in state regulation of immigration policy, at least two support it, while others offer empirically-based examinations of state efforts to regulate immigration within their borders, pointing to wide, state-by-state disparities in locally-administered immigration policies and laws. Ultimately, the book offers an extremely timely, thorough, and spirited discussion on an issue that will continue to dominate state and federal legislatures for years to come.Please see “Criminal Justice and Police Reform” in the Racial Justice section and the (Im)migration Rights section for further insight to this content area.
Indigenous Rights & Tribal Sovereignty
At the Margins of Globalization by Despite the tremendous progress in the development of scientific knowledge, the understanding of the causes of poverty and inequality, and the role of politics and governance in addressing modern challenges, issues such as social inclusion, poverty, marginalization and despair continue to be a reality across the world - and most often impact Indigenous Peoples. At the Margins of Globalization explores how Indigenous Peoples are affected by globalization, and the culture of individual choice without responsibility that it promotes, while addressing what can be done about it. Though international trade and investment agreements are unlikely to go away, the inclusion of Indigenous rights provisions has made a positive difference. This book explains how these provisions operate and how to build from their limited success.
Cases and Materials on Federal Indian Law by Edited by Robert Williams. This federal Indian law casebook has an unprecedented focus on Native Nation-building, including cutting-edge materials on tribal economies and tribal justice systems unavailable elsewhere. The Seventh Edition retains classic material on the history of federal Indian law and policy, including the medieval origins of the "Doctrine of Discovery," and the shifting eras of Indian law leading to the current Nation-building era. The book covers the federal tribal relationship; tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction; Indian religion and culture; water rights; treaty rights; rights of Alaska natives and native Hawaiians; and international legal perspectives.
Indigenous Justice by Edited by Melissa Tatum (et. al.) This highly topical collection of essays addresses contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities from a broad range of multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives. Drawing from across the social sciences and humanities, this important volume challenges the established norms, theories, and methodologies within the field, and argues for the potential of a multidimensional approach to solving problems of Indigenous justice. Stemming from an international conference on 'Spaces of Indigenous Justice', Indigenous Justice is richly illustrated with case studies and comprises contributions from scholars working across the fields of law, socio-legal studies, sociology, public policy, politico-legal theory, and Indigenous studies. As such, the editors of this timely and engaging volume draw upon a wide range of experience to argue for a radical shift in how we engage with Indigenous studies.
The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice by Rebecca Tsosie: Contributor. In the era of information and communication, issues of misinformation and miscommunication are more pressing than ever. Epistemic injustice - one of the most important and ground-breaking subjects to have emerged in philosophy in recent years - refers to those forms of unfair treatment that relate to issues of knowledge, understanding, and participation in communicative practices.
Savage Anxieties by From one of the world's leading experts on Native American law and indigenous peoples' human rights comes an original and striking intellectual history of the tribe and Western civilization that sheds new light on how we understand ourselves and our contemporary society. Throughout the centuries, conquest, war, and unspeakable acts of violence and dispossession have all been justified by citing civilization's opposition to these differences represented by the tribe. Robert Williams, award winning author, legal scholar, and member of the Lumbee Indian Tribe, proposes a wide-ranging reexamination of the history of the Western world, told from the perspective of civilization's war on tribalism as a way of life. Williams shows us how what we thought we knew about the rise of Western civilization over the tribe is in dire need of reappraisal.
Indigenous Women and Feminism by Can the specific concerns of Indigenous women be addressed by mainstream feminism? Indigenous Women and Feminism proposes that a dynamic new line of inquiry - Indigenous feminism - is necessary to truly engage with the crucial issues of cultural identity, nationalism, and decolonization particular to Indigenous contexts. Through the lenses of politics, activism, and culture, this wide-ranging collection crosses disciplinary, national, academic, and activist boundaries to explore deeply the unique political and social positions of Indigenous women. A vital and sophisticated discussion, these timely essays will change the way we think about modern feminism and Indigenous women.Please see the Indigenous Rights and Tribal Sovereignty section for further insight to this content area.
Institutional Racism & Implicit Racial Bias
Saving the Neighborhood by Saving the Neighborhood tells the still controversial story of the rise and fall of racially restrictive covenants in America, which bestowed an aura of legitimacy upon the wish of many white neighborhoods to exclude minorities. It offers insight into the ways legal and social norms reinforce one another, to codify and perpetuate intolerance.Please see the Racial Justice section and the (Im)migration Rights section for further insight to this content area.
LGBTQIA
Please see “Intersectionality” in the Racial Justice section and the LGBTQIA+ Rights section for further insight to this content area.
Workers' Rights
Please see the “Race and Poverty” tab in the Intersectionality box of the Racial Justice & Antiracism section for further insight to this content area.
In March 2021, the Diversity Committee in partnership with the American Constitution Society, the Native American Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Immigration Law Students Association, the Armenian Law Students Association and Pride Law held a college wide dialogue with students, staff, and faculty. The event was created with a hope for an open and honest dialogue between the diverse communities at Arizona Law and those who wished to serve as allies for those communities.
Community and ally representatives from NALSA, BLSA, ILSA, ALLSA, and Pride Law spoke at the event. In conjunction with the event, a number of representatives created a document containing a list of resources on how those in the Arizona Law community could serve as allies to Indigenous Peoples and the diverse communities represented in the event. That document along with a recording of "Conversations on Allyship" are available below.
"After the murder of George Floyd, BLSA, alongside the University of Arizona Student Bar Association (SBA), issued a joint statement in which we called on our law college community to become more active in the fight for racial and social justice. In an effort to practice what we preach, BLSA is undertaking an ambitious plan, in conjunction with multiple other student organizations, to host renowned legal and economic scholars from around the country each month who will deliver virtual lectures about legal issues that Black America faces every day" - Arizona Letter of the Law (Sep. 23, 2020).
Below is a selection of recorded BLSA Coffee Conversations from the 2020/2021 school year.
"At University of Arizona Law, we promote diversity of thought, background, experience and culture—not only because it creates a better community, but because it builds better professionals. Wherever your legal education takes you, open-mindedness, critical thinking, interpersonal skills and a broad foundation of cultural understanding are highly useful and valued. We know that educating students for a global workplace means reflecting the societies they will serve, and we strive to maintain an environment where diversity—in its broadest sense—is celebrated." - law.arizona.edu/diversity
The Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law is hosting the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples José Francisco "Pancho" Calí Tzay.
Heather Whiteman Runs Him, Director, Tribal Justice Clinic and Clinical Professor of Law, was featured as the "Faculty Spotlight" during Native American Heritage Month in 2021. The spotlight spoke to Professor Whiteman Runs Him's various project work including a co-authored amicus brief on behalf of Native American law and policy scholars as a supporting petitioner in United States v. Cooley.
Professor Whiteman Runs Him also participated in a panel presentation on United States v. Cooley hosted by the UCLA School of Law in March 2021 and on missing indigenous children and boarding school cemeteries in June 2021. You can view the presentation here and here.
On October 6 and 7, 2021, IPLP hosted a conference titled "20 Years of Indigenous Advocacy: A Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples." To view the full list of speakers and the full conference agenda click here. To view the four conference panels, please visit the University of Arizona Law's YouTube channel.
Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law; Faculty Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, meets monthly with the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs as part of the UA Native Faculty with the University's Inclusive Faculty Groups.
Seanna Howard, Director, International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop and Professor of Practice, is currently supervising students that are assisting with the research and drafting of reports written by the UN Special Rapporteur, José Francisco "Pancho" Calí Tzay. This work is part of a collaboration between the Arizona Law IPLP Program and the UA Human Rights Practice at the University of Arizona Law. This collaboration is described in the video, "One Letter Can Save a Life," below.
Yaqui Human Rights Project: James C. Hopkins, an Associate Clinical Professor, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, is currently representing the Traditional Authorities of the Rio Yaqui Pueblos, the governing body for all eight Rio Yaqui Pueblos in the Rio Yaqui Valley in Sonora, Mexico on a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).