Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 14

FEATURE
The Journey Toward
Native American Sovereignty
By Richard Blaustein
M
ary Pavel can still clearly recall how life on
the Skokomish Reservation in Washington
State, where she grew up, changed when
Native tribes were empowered to operate
programs that best serve their communities,
giving them more autonomy to manage their
own affairs.
ABOVE LEFT: American Indian protesters outside the White House during
the Trail of Self-Determination demonstration in 1976.
Glen Leach, courtesy of D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection
ABOVE RIGHT: Native American demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, in January
2017 protesting the Trump administration's executive order reviving the
Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
Ian Sane/Creative Commons
14 WASHINGTON LAWYER
* MARCH/APRIL 2025
Pavel's first awareness of self-determination began when Native Americans
engaged in prominent struggles asserting their treaty fishing rights in the
Pacific Northwest, which overlapped with the enactment of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) in 1975.
" When tribal leaders stepped up in the late '60s and early '70s and said
these treaties mean something and need to be animated, they ran headto-head
with the state of Washington and the state of Oregon, " says Pavel,
partner at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP in Washington,
D.C. Specializing in Indian law, Pavel lobbies for and represents
tribes across the country in various matters such as federal appropriations.
A
prominent leader at the time was Nisqually Tribe member Billy Frank,
whose advocacy culminated in the 1974 " Boldt Decision, " named after
the judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
who found that under U.S. treaties with Native Americans, tribes retained
their rights for fishing and management of salmon harvests. The
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision in 1975,
and the U.S. Supreme Court denied the state of Washington's petition for
certiorari review.
" When tribal leaders finally won those rights, tribal members started
coming home from the cities where they had jobs. They could begin to
exercise those rights to fish, hunt, and take care of their families in a way

Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025

Digital Extras
From Our President
Calendar
Practice Management
Involuntary Servitude feature
ISDEAA at 50 feature
Rainmaking feature
Multigenerational Law Firms feature
Women Rising in White_Collar Defense feature
True Grit feature
DC Bar ACAB special section
Member Spotlight - Janene Jackson
Newly Minted
Worth Reading
Attorney Briefs
Speaking of Ethics
Disciplinary Summaries
Pro Bono Effect
A Slice of Wry
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover1
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover2
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 1
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 2
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 3
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Digital Extras
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 5
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - From Our President
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Calendar
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Practice Management
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 9
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Involuntary Servitude feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 11
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 12
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 13
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - ISDEAA at 50 feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 15
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Rainmaking feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 17
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Multigenerational Law Firms feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 19
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 20
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 21
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Women Rising in White_Collar Defense feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 23
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 24
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 25
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - True Grit feature
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 27
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 28
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 29
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - DC Bar ACAB special section
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 31
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Member Spotlight - Janene Jackson
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 33
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 34
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 35
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Newly Minted
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Worth Reading
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 38
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Attorney Briefs
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Speaking of Ethics
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 41
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Disciplinary Summaries
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 43
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Pro Bono Effect
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 45
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 46
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - 47
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - A Slice of Wry
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover3
Washington Lawyer - March/April 2025 - Cover4
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