Congratulations to the Wild Horse Pass Development Authority and the Gila River Indian Community for this amazing and well-deserved recognition! The Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass showcases the art, cultural, and history of the Akimel O'otham and Pee Posh peoples to create a truly unique reso...
Congratulations to the Gila River Indian Community, the Casa Blanca School faculty, teachers, students and families on this amazing culturally immersive school! The Casa Blanca School has been recognized by the architecture community for numerous regional and national awards. The Casa Blanca Scho...
Rothstein Donatelli congratulates Summer Associate Griffin Arellano's on the publication of his article, “Action is Not Activism: Moving Martinez/Yazzie v. State Forward,” in the next edition of the New Mexico Law Review. Griffin was inspired to write about the Yazzie/Martinez case after working ...
Partner April Olson presents on the Supreme Court decision in Brackeen v. Haaland at the National Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Annual Conference, along with attorneys Nikki Borchardt Campbell and Johanna Farmer from the National American Indian Court Judges Association and Chie...
Authored by Shandiin Herrera and Jeneva Parks, Summer Associates Today, we breathe a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in Haaland v. Brackeen As summer associates at Rothstein Donatelli tasked with research to prepare for the possibility of a different opin...
In a 133-page Opinion authored by Judge Barrett, the United States Supreme Court Upholds the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Link to Opinion here. Rothstein Donatelli filed an amicus brief in support of the ICWA. Opinions of the Court - 2022 (supremecourt.gov)
Identity theft can be devastating for victims. It often can create credit and financial problems for victims. And it also can threaten the victim's sense of security. Identity theft can leave victims saddled with numerous problems to clean up in the wake. In some instances, a victim of identity ...
On May 16, 2019, Larissa Waln (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) walked towards the auditorium with her fellow seniors, her deep purple graduation cap adorned with intricate bead work done by her father, Bryan Waln (Rosebud Sioux). Her cap was adorned by an eagle plume gifted to her by family to honor t...
We are pleased to announce that Allison Athens has joined our Indian law practice in Santa Fe. Allison grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. After law school she clerked for the Alaska Court of Appeals and then worked at the Office...
Attorney Carolyn M. “Cammie” Nichols and paralegals Esther Lopez and Sonia Salazar have been for the past several years diligently pursuing claims against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on behalf of clients who are survivors of sexual abuse by priests; first in litigation, then in bankruptcy court a...
After an hours-long standoff at a home in Albuquerque on July 6, 2022, during which the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) repeatedly threw smoke grenades and flash bangs into the home, which ultimately caused a fire that destroyed the home, fift...
Rothstein attorneys Adriana Orman and Wouter Zwart and New Mexico Environmental Law Center attorney Mia Montoya Hammersley authored the article “Indigenous Erasure in Public Schools, Critical Race Theory, Discriminatory Policies, and Remedies for Students,” published in the July/August 2022 issue...
Partner Mark Donatelli was interviewed as part of an investigation by NPR and the The Marshall Project into a federal prison located in Thomson, Illinois, that is one of the country's most violent and dangerous prisons. The prison has been the location of the federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) sp...
DWIs and Expungement A frequently asked expungement question is “Can I expunge my DWI conviction?” The answer, as it so often is in the law, is: “It depends.” The New Mexico Criminal Records Expungement Act is divided up into different sections, including Convictions and Non-Convictions. All “no...
Earlier this month, the families of Rex Corcoran, Jr., and Carmela DeVargas led a protest in front of the Santa Fe County Detention Center in support of their demand that a grand jury be empaneled to investigate the jail's role in the deaths of Mr. Corcoran and Ms. DeVargas. Mr. Corcoran and Ms. ...
Partner April Olson will join with other distinguished panelists at the upcoming 18th Annual ILPC/TICA Indigenous Law Conference (November 4th & 5th) to discuss legal protections for Indian children beyond the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) that are still viable after the Fifth Circuit's Brakeen...
The Firm is pleased to welcome Steve Heeley as of counsel. The breadth and depth of Steve's work on behalf of Indian tribes is unparalleled. Most recently, Steve spent many years as outside counsel and consultant to a large tribe in Arizona, and, prior to that, as in-house counsel for the tribe...
Partner Mark Donatelli chides Governor Lujan Grisham for ignoring the results of a recent study showing that bail reform in New Mexico (implemented in 2017) has successfully reduced pretrial detention rates while maintaining public safety. Notwithstanding the results of the study, Governor Lujan...
Associate Attorney Job Announcement
Attorneys Glennas’ba Augborne Arents and April Olson analyze the Fifth Circuit decision in Brackeen v. Haaland and discuss the decision’s impacts on the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and ICWA cases in the state of Arizona.
Nat (they/them) is a rising third-year student at the University of New Mexico School of Law (Class of 2022). They are the Bluebook Editor for Volume 52 of the New Mexico Law Review, president of the Lambda Law Student Association, and a W.K. Kellogg Child & Family Justice Advocate. They also ser...
Rothstein Donatelli Welcomes Summer Associate
This year's special legislative session has brought several new changes to New Mexico, including to the Criminal Record Expungement Act. These changes will provide, among other things, improvements to the way expungements are handled as well as providing for automatic expungement for certain cann...
The lawyers of Rothstein Donatelli stand shoulder to shoulder with survivors of childhood sexual abuse in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church unleashed untold number of predators into our communities, leading to generations of devastation and decades of secrecy and coverup. Each of us ...
Partner April Olson discusses how state court pro hac vice rules often deny tribes the ability to participate in state court child custody proceedings concerning Indian children, and suggests how state court rules could be revised to ensure that tribal nations have “a seat at the table,” as requi...
