Friday, November 3, 2006

NARF Attorney Natalie Landreth honored with the ACLU's Liberty Award:

On Saturday, October 21st, NARF Attorney Natalie Landreth was honored with the ACLU of Alaska's 2006 Liberty Award. Natalie, based in the Anchorage office, practices a broad range of Indian law from jurisdiction issues to fishing rights to voting rights.

Recently she worked to encourage Congress to renew the Voting Rights Act (VRA) which was set to expire in 2007. She was successful, and the VRA was renewed in the summer of 2006. The VRA is critical for Native Alaskans, because more than 15,000 Natives speak only or primarily their native language. Yet they are subject to elections in English only. As a result, many Alaska Natives -- and elders in particular -- are totally disenfranchised. Many try to vote and ask family members for translation assistance, but they should not have to do that. Under the VRA, they are entitled to bilingual elections in the native language and English. Natalie is committed to ensuring that these rights are respected.

She also currently serves on NARF's Litigation Management Committee, which manages the other attorneys and determines which cases to bring. Natalie is also Chair of the Alaska Native Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association.