Angela R. Riley

Angela R. Riley (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) is an internationally-renowned indigenous rights scholar. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and her law degree from Harvard Law School. In 2003, she became the first woman Justice of the Supreme Court of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma. In 2010, she was elected as Chief Justice. She also works as an Evidentiary Hearing Officer for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and sits as an Appellate Judge for both the Rincon Tribe Court of Appeals and the Pokagon Potawatomi Court of Appeals. She previously served as Co-Chair for the United Nations - Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership Policy Board, with a goal of implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Angela is a Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and serves as Director of both UCLA's J.D./M.A. joint degree program in Law and American Indian Studies, and the Native Nations Law and Policy Center. She is Special Advisor to UCLA’s Chancellor on Native American and Indigenous Affairs, and Chair on the UCLA Campus Repatriation Committee. She previously served as the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and currently teaches a Nation Building class at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her research focuses on issues related to Indigenous peoples’ rights, with an emphasis on cultural property and Native governance. Angela’s work has been published in the nation’s most elite legal journals, including the Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, California Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal and many others.

She was raised on a farm at Saddle Mountain in southwestern Oklahoma where she learned to butcher chickens, chop cotton, castrate hogs, and live free. She now resides with her family in Los Angeles, California.

Career Highlights

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KEY Appointments

Special Advisor on Native American and Indigenous Affairs, UCLA Office of the Chancellor, 2022—present

Appellate Judge, Pokagon Potawatomi Court of Appeals, 2022—present

Appellate Judge, Rincon Tribe Court of Appeals, 2021—present

Visiting Professor, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2021—present

Chair, UCLA Campus Repatriation Committee, 2010—2019; 2021—present

Expert, United Nations — World Intellectual Property Organization, Indigenous Caucus, 2018—present

Director, UCLA Native Nations Law and Policy Center, 2015—present

Director, UCLA MA/JD Joint Degree Program in Law & American Indian Studies, 2011—present

Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, 2010—present

Evidentiary Hearing Officer, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, 2007—present

Member, University of California, Office of the President, Repatriation Policy Advisory Committee, 2019—2020

Co-Chair, United Nations – Indigenous Peoples Partnership Policy Board, 2013—2019

Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor, Harvard Law School, Fall 2015

Co-Director, UCLA Native Nations Law and Policy Center, 2011—2015

Director, UCLA American Indian Studies Center, 2010—2015

Expert, United Nations — Indigenous Peoples Partnership Policy Board, 2011—2013

Elected Member, American Law Institute, September 2012

Justice, Supreme Court of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, 2002—2010

HONORS AND AWARDS

Women Inspiring Change In honor of International Women’s Day, the Harvard Law and International Development Society and the Harvard Women’s Law Association are hosting the 3rd Annual Harvard Law School International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit. (February 29—March 11, 2016)

9 Notable Women Lawyers Who Rule Indian Law Legal systems are never easy to navigate, as the U.S. vertical hierarchy of courts, jury options and appeals processes attest. In dealing with Indians and the United States' judicial system, with its purported goal of integrating the principles of 567 nations (counting the U.S.), tribal law, state law, federal law, the inherent and reserved rights of Indigenous Peoples and treaty obligations, establishing and defending the rights of Natives is a job that requires the best minds of the times. The field requires the ability to understand complex relations and theory, the strength to stand by their principles and the maturity to respect other people’s points of view. The nine women profiled here have taken up the task. (October 23, 2013)

2013 Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service Awardees | 2013 Distinguished Alumna Angela Riley (Video) Each year the College of Arts and Sciences presents its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumnus Award, to up to four graduates of the college. (February 21, 2013)

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Media

Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma and the Attack on Tribal Sovereignty: Where Do We Go From Here? Professor Angela R. Riley moderated this webinar with the nation’s leading legal practitioners and scholars discussing how Castro-Huerta came to be and what we might expect in the wake of its holding. (July 6, 2022)

Debrief of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Opinion in U.S. v. Denezpi The nation’s leading Indian law lawyers debriefed the Supreme Court’s historic 6-3 decision in U.S. v. Denezpi. (June 16, 2022)

NNLPC Fall 2021 Speaker Series: The Ascension of Tribal Cultural Property Law A conversation with leading Indigenous rights scholars who discussed the growing impact of tribal law on issues related to Indigenous Peoples’ cultural and intellectual property. (November 17, 2021)

Roundtable Debrief on the Cooley Oral Argument at the Supreme Court An expert panel debriefed the U.S. Supreme Court’s oral arguments of U.S. v. Cooley regarding the extent of tribal police powers. (April 29, 2021)

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16 The speakers addressed issues related to historical and transitional justice, implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples into tribal law, constitutional transformation, reflections on self-determination, cultural property and appropriation, decolonizing indigenous migration, and the participation of indigenous peoples in the UN system. (April 21, 2021)

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Tribal Implementation Toolkit The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a standard-setting document that recognizes that Indigenous peoples have rights to self-determination, equality, property, culture, religious freedom, health, and economic well-being, among many others. It calls on States to undertake legal reform that will remedy past violations and ensure current protections for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The "Tribal Implementation Toolkit" considered how tribes can support and implement the Declaration through tribal lawmaking. Professor Angela R. Riley moderated this launch event. Learn more about the toolkit and the project to implement: https://un-declaration.narf.org/ (April 12, 2021)

Decolonizing Indigenous Migration: Violence, Settler Capitalism, Gender and Law How is the violence to which indigenous women migrants are subjected related to “neoliberal multicriminalism” and settler structures of indigenous dispossession and elimination? And how might migration law consider the colonial origins and impacts that undergird state policies on territorial sovereignty and border regulation? Transcript available. (April 5, 2021)

United States v. Cooley: Threats to Tribal Police Power and Native Governance US v. Cooley was a case addressing the scope of tribal police officers' power to temporarily detain and search non-Indians traveling through the reservation and suspected of violating state or federal law. Before the case was decided, Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a lively and gripping conversation with a remarkable panel of Indian country lawyers involved in the case as they discussed the potential legal and practical implications of Cooley's outcome for public safety on reservations. (March 11, 2021)

McGirt v. Oklahoma: Reflections on a Landmark Case and What We’ve Learned So Far The groundbreaking case of McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) altered the landscape of criminal jurisdiction within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation. Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a discussion with the legal pioneers working on the front lines and heard their reflections on both successes and on-going challenges. (February 16, 2021)

Progressive Judges Wish List Heavy on ACLU, Light on Big Law Professor Angela R. Riley is quoted on the experience and understanding American Indian judicial nominees would bring to the federal bench in Madison Alder’s article. (March 2, 2021)

Repatriation as a Human Right | Ethics in Place: A Symposium on Indigenous Peoples and the Future of Principled Democracy The Capps Center at UC Santa Barbara hosted three Indigenous leaders, Walter Echo-Hawk, Professor Angela R. Riley, and Edward Halealoha Ayau, to make a case for understanding the moral urgency of repatriation with reference to international frameworks, U.S. federal law, and University of California policies. (January 25, 2021)

Indigenous Representation in Political Systems | Red Rising: Indigenous Peoples and Political Participation Series Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a discussion with representatives from both state and national offices: Representative Sharice Davids; Representative Ruth Buffalo; Senate Candidate Paulette Jordan; and Tribal Advisor Christina Snider. (October 15, 2020)

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Red Rising: Indigenous Peoples and Political Participation Series Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a roundtable discussion with the nation’s leading experts on the development and implementation of the Declaration. (October 2, 2020)

The Execution of Lezmond Mitchell: Disdain for Life and Sovereignty | Red Rising: Indigenous Peoples and Political Participation Series Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a discussion with Professor Jennifer Denetdale, University of New Mexico; Professor Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Michigan State University College of Law; Professor Addie C. Rolnick, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Carl Slater, Navajo Nation Council Delegate. (September 17, 2020)

McGirt v. Oklahoma: A Mvskoke Triumph | Red Rising: Indigenous Peoples and Political Participation Series Professor Angela R. Riley moderated a discussion with Ambassador Jonodev Chaudhuri, Muscogee (Creek) Nation; Professor Sarah Deer, University of Kansas; Dean Stacy Leeds, University of Arkansas. (September 9, 2020)

Hownikan Podcast | Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Court Chief Justice Angela R. Riley talked with Tribal Member Paige Willett about current civil rights issues and how they relate to cultural symbols, branding, the experience of indigenous peoples, and the history of settler colonialism (timestamp 16:04-25:48). (July 23, 2020)

McGirt Debrief | UCLA School of Law Tribal Legal Development Clinic Brown Bag Series Angela R. Riley and Lauren van Schilfgaarde moderated a discussion with Riyaz Kanji, Kanji & Katzen and Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Professor of Law, Michigan State University. (June 26, 2020)

Intersection of Cultural Resource and Environmental Protection | UCLA School of Law Tribal Legal Development Clinic Brown Bag Series Angela R. Riley and Lauren van Schilfgaarde moderated a discussion with Geneva E. B. Thompson, Associate General Counsel, Yurok Tribe. (June 19, 2020)

Implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | UCLA School of Law Tribal Legal Development Clinic Brown Bag Series Angela R. Riley and Lauren van Schlifgaarde moderated a discussion with Kristen Carpenter, Council Tree Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School. (June 12, 2020)

Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund | UCLA School of Law Tribal Legal Development Clinic Brown Bag Lunch Series Angela R. Riley and Lauren van Schilfgaarde moderated a discusssion with Ethel Branch, Kanji & Katzen. (June 5, 2020)

Indian Child Welfare Act Constitutionality and Litigation Trends | UCLA School of Law Tribal Legal Development Clinic Brown Bag Lunch Series Angela R. Riley and Lauren van Schilfgaarde moderated a discussion with Kate Fort, Director, Indian Law Clinic, Michigan State University College of Law. (May 29, 2020)

Expert Seminar: Indigenous Repatriation Practices Angela R. Riley spoke, and served as a panelist, at the expert seminar hosted by the University of British Columbia (timestamp 2:43:37-3:30:00). The theme of the seminar was “Repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” in support of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (March 4, 2020)

You Are on Tongva Land: Mercedes Dorame, Angela R. Riley & Wendy Teeter Artist Mercedes Dorame, a member of the Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California, joined Angela Riley, director of UCLA’s Native Nations Law and Policy Center, and Wendy Teeter, Fowler Museum archaeology curator, to discuss repatriation and land ownership in indigenous communities. (June 6, 2018)

Next Horizon: A Symposium on the Future of Indigenous Nation Building | Honoring Nations, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Listen to expert advice from Angela Riley (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) on the following topics: partnerships and allies, urbanization, nation building across different contexts, greatest risks to indigenous communities seeking self-determination, research areas that need exploration, emerging leaders on sovereignty and self-determination, globalization of the nation building movement, the Harvard Project and nation building, and moving forward from cynicism. (April 30-May 2, 2018)

Dakota Access Pipeline UCLA’s International Human Rights Law Association, Native American Law Students Association, Environmental Law Society, and the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment hosted this panel about the Dakota Access Pipeline. (February 16, 2017)

Race and the Supreme Court UCLA’s Critical Race Studies Program, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, Asian/Pacific Islander Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, La Raza Law Students Association, Muslim Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, South Asian Law Students Association, and Womyn of Color Collective sponsored this panel at UCLA School of Law. (September 15, 2016)

Whiteness As Property: Critical Foundations This panel took place at UCLA School of Law as part of the 7th Critical Race Studies Symposium — Whiteness As Property: A 20-Year Appraisal. (October 2, 2014)

NALSA Conference | Lunch and Keynote Address with Angela R. Riley Stanford's Native American Law Student Association hosted the "Contemporary Issues in Indian Law Conference" at Stanford Law School. (February 6-7, 2014)

A Roadmap for Making Native America Safer: Jurisdiction and Intergovernmental Cooperation The Indian Law & Order Commission (ILOC), special guest commentators, and the UCLA American Indian Studies Center’s Partner for Justice: UCLA Institute on Criminal Law in Indian Country presented a one-day symposium showcasing the ILOC report on the state of justice in Indian Country. (January 24, 2014)

The Allan C. Lebow Supreme Court Review — Equality Under The Roberts Court UCLA School of Law's 2013 annual review of the Supreme Court's most recent term and its implications for lawyers, academics and citizens. (August 27, 2013)

Native American Lands and the Supreme Court Angela Riley spoke in the Supreme Court chamber about the history of the Supreme Court and Native American lands. The lecture, which took place in the Supreme Court chamber, was one in a series hosted by the Supreme Court Historical Society on the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and property rights. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg introduced Professor Riley. (November 14, 2012)

Selected Lectures

UCLA School of Law Tribal Development Clinic, Brown Bag Lunch Series via Zoom, moderator with Lauren van Schilfgaarde (Fridays May 22—July 10, 2020)

Expert Seminar: Repatriation of Ceremonial Objects and Human Remains Under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, University of British Columbia (March 4-5, 2020)

Seas of Grass: Introduction to and Conversation with Walter Echo-Hawk UC Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, California (February 21, 2020)

Lighting a Path Forward: A Conference on the University of California as a Land-Grant Institution on Indigenous Lands UCLA American Indian Studies Center, UCLA American Indian Studies IDP, UCLA Institute of American Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles (October 15-16, 2019)

Keynote Address: Violence Against Native Women and the POWER ACT United States District Court, Western District of Washington, Seattle, Washington (September 20, 2019)

Supreme Court Update California Indian Law Association, Graton Rancheria, Santa Rosa, California (September 4, 2019)

Tribes as Extra-Constitutional Entities Harvard Law School Symposium, Harvard Law School, speaker and conference organizer (October 13-14, 2016)

Crime and Governance in Indian Country Harvard Law School Faculty Workshop, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (April 28, 2016)

The Jurisgenerative Moment in Indigenous Human Rights Federal Bar Association/Native American Bar Association Annual Indian Law Conference, Phoenix, Arizona (April 7, 2016)

Keynote: Justice for Native Nations Pitzer College, Pomona, California (April 28, 2014)

Equality or Exceptionalism Critical Race Theory Conference, Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut (April 5, 2014)

Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Customary Law Griffith University, Brisbaine, Australia (March 27, 2014)

Equality or Exceptionalism Endowed Caughey Foundation Address, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, California (March 15, 2014)

Keynote: Equality or Exceptionalism Stanford University School of Law, Palo Alto, California (February 7, 2014)

Insights from a Scholar and Indigenous Rights Lawyer Harvard Law School 60th Alumnae Celebration, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (September 27, 2013)

University of Oklahoma College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award Public Lecture The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma (February 21, 2013)

The Supreme Court and Native American Property Rights The Supreme Court Historical Society Lecture Series, The United States Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. (November 14th, 2012)

Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Protection of Indigenous Cultures and Sacred Sites Consultation with the UN Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, Tucson, Arizona (April 26-27, 2012)

Keynote: Making Sui Generis Protections Work United Nations, World Intellectual Property Organization Side Event, Geneva, Switzerland (July 18, 2011)

Keynote Diversity Lecture: Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Property Center for Social Justice and Public Service, Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California (with honorarium) (February 3, 2011)

Keynote Address Tenth Annual Indian Law Conference, California Indian Law Association, Pala, California (October 8, 2010)