Total Credits: 1.25 including 0.0 Ethics CLE, 1.25 CLE
Arizona has a total of twenty-two federally recognized Indian Tribes, all of which have their own lands over which they exercise sovereignty, including the ability to prosecute criminal offenders. Determining which of three sovereigns—Tribal, State, or Federal—has jurisdiction over a particular criminal matter can be challenging. Russell Boatwright and Coleen Thoene, Deputy Prosecutors with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, will provide a historical overview of criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, focusing on the interplay between Tribal, State, and Federal governments. They will also discuss recent Supreme Court opinions —specifically, Oklahoma v. McGirt, and Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta—and how they affect the current jurisdictional landscape in Arizona.
| Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country (10.1 MB) | 97 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Russell Boatwright has been a Deputy Prosecutor with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe since 2019. Prior to that, he spent three years as an attorney with the Pima County Public Defender’s Office, after having served as a law clerk with the Hon. Richard Nichols.
Both Mr. Boatwright and Ms. Thoene focus on training law enforcement and prosecutors about a variety topics related to criminal prosecution in Indian country.
Coleen Thoene has been a Deputy Prosecutor with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe since 2018, and is the Tribe’s designated VAWA/STCJ prosecutor. Prior to coming to the Tribe, she was a prosecutor with the Pima County Attorney’s Office for eight years where she served in a variety of assignments.
Both Mr. Boatwright and Ms. Thoene focus on training law enforcement and prosecutors about a variety topics related to criminal prosecution in Indian country.
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