Senate Confirms First-Ever Native American Woman As Federal Judge
Congratulations to the Honorable Diane Humetewa!
The Senate confirmed Diane Humetewa to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, making her the first-ever Native American woman to serve on the federal bench. | Arizona State University
Am I happy the Senate finally confirmed a Native American Judge? Indeed I am. I just have one more thing to say: It’s about damn time…
The Huffington Post
The Senate quietly made history on Wednesday night when it confirmed Diane Humetewa as a federal judge — the first Native American woman to ever hold such a post.
Humetewa was confirmed 96-0 to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. She is a former U.S. attorney in Arizona and a member of the Hopi tribe. She is now the first active member of a Native American tribe to serve on the federal bench and only the third Native American in history to do so.
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Posted on 05/17/2014, in Potpourri, Uncategorized and tagged Arizona, Diane Humetewa, federal, first Native American woman, judge. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
This is wonderful!
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“Humetewa was confirmed 96-0 to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona” What a proud day to be an American!!
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She has also done a lot of community outreach:
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Congratulations Diane Humetewa!
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On one hand this is empowering for all Native Americans. On the other hand it means that the forced assimilation – forcing Native Americans to learn English (for one example) has certainly happened.
I’m reading Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ and from his perspective full assimilation with full respect and non-violence is the most empowering option for people. I have to agree with him. After an invader chooses to colonize, the survival options for the colonized are either to flee or assimilate.
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Glenn,
I agree. What makes it disappointing however, is when people do assimilate and they are still made to feel as if they are not good enough.
Also, assimilation should not require that people forsake their roots; the history of their people.
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Wonderful news. I’m sure her knowledge withing the Indian community will be helpful. They have their own laws within the Indian community. They have their own prosacutors, sheriff’s department, tribal judges, ect. In our court system, before a matter is heard before a judge, there is a whole section of requirements that have to be answered if you have a child with Native American blood, even if you only suspect that they have Native American Ancestry. You must try and locate relatives who will provide you with information about what tribe they may be afflicated with, and then contact the tribe to advise them about the matter of which you are going to court for. They have the right to then interveen in matters. You are in big time do do if you do not try and locate the tribe. They take any family matters very seriously.
My daughters ex husband family are members of tribe. Her ex husbands sister had a baby while incarcerated in jail. CPS came to the hospital to take the baby, but didn’t make it out the door before a social worker from the tribe came through and took the baby to the reservation. The baby was placed with a relative until she was released from jail. If you are guardians of a Native American child, it is requested from the tribe that you make visits to the Indian community so that the child will learn about their culture.
With that said, there are many who seek only the benefits that being a member of a tribe brings. What I witnessed with the ex’s family, is they knew what tribe they were members of, but beyond that, the check they recieve every couple of months is all they care about. Very sad. Oh and they they are very good with the threats to their non Native American spouses or others that they will take the children to the reservation and they will never see them again. They will not be allowed on the reservation and law enforcement will not go there either.
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