Albuquerque Office / Tempe Office
PRACTICE AREAS
- Civil Rights
- Criminal Defense
- Indian Law
Roshanna K. Toya is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta where she was born, raised, and resides today. Roshanna earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico. After graduating law school Roshanna went on to clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico, where she was able to work closely with judges to research, analyze and write legal memoranda regarding all areas of civil and criminal law. Roshanna's clerkships were formative experiences in her legal career and created a solid foundation for practice in the areas of civil rights, criminal defense, and representing tribes and tribal entities.
Roshanna is also familiar with the internal workings of tribal governments as Roshanna has served her Pueblo as an associate justice for the Isleta Pueblo Appellate Court since 2013. She now serves the Pueblo as the Chief Justice of the Appellate Court. There she presides over cases related to probate, domestic relations, criminal law, employment law, and any other types of disputes that are appealed from the tribal court.
Prior to pursuing a career in law, Roshanna practiced as a social worker, focused on providing direct clinical services to American Indian youth incarcerated in state prisons, and assisting families of court-involved youth to secure community based behavioral health services. Roshanna has also been active for many years in making funding decisions on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice for grants related to tribal court systems, tribal social services, community oriented policing programs, and more.
Roshanna's practice spans over all three of our offices, Tempe, Arizona and Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Education
- New Mexico State University, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, 2005
- New Mexico State University, Master of Criminal Justice, 2008
- New Mexico State University, Master of Social Work, 2009
- University of New Mexico School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2019
Judicial Clerkships
- United States District Court, Albuquerque, New Mexico (2022)
- New Mexico Court of Appeals, Albuqerque, New Mexico (2019-2021)
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of New Mexico
- Navajo Nation
- State Bar of Arizona
Distinctions and Honors
- UNM School of Law Dean's Award for Significant Contribution to the Law School Community
- Clinical Honors Award for Outstanding Service in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic
- Editor-in-Chief for the Tribal Law Journal
- Appointee of the New Mexico Supreme Court to the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners
- Appointee of the U.S. Department of Justice to the Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women
Memberships and Affiliations
- New Mexico Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Board Member
- UNM School of Law Recent Graduate Committee, Board Member
- American Indian Law Center's Pre-Law Summer Institute, Judicial Clerkship Committee, Board Member
