Artman comments on Navajo Nation justice requirements

Carl Artman, director of the economic development in Indian Country Program, recently was quoted by The Associated Press in an article about requirements for justices in the Navajo Supreme Court. 

In the article, which ran in the Houston Chronicle under the headline, “Bill alters criteria for Navajo Nation justices,” Artman agreed with a Navajo Nation legislator that increasing the requirements would benefit the tribe and not challenge its sovereignty.

The nation currently requires a bachelor’s degree and membership in the Navajo Nation Bar Association. The proposal would require a law degree and membership in a state bar association. 

Raising the standards is socially responsible, especially when the law applies to non-Indians, Artman said.

To read the full article, click here.

An enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, Artman served as the 10th Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior and as the Department’s Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs.