ASU Legislation professor appointed to Inside Office leadership function in Biden-Harris administration

January 20, 2021

When Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes attended the Sandra Day O’Connor Higher education of Regulation at Arizona State College, the college’s Indian Legal Program was a person of only a several of its form that concentrated on enrolling and retaining Indigenous American learners, recruiting Indigenous college and expanding the variety of Indian legislation programs.

“That motivation was the essential to my accomplishment,” mentioned Bledsoe Downes, who has been named deputy solicitor for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Inside. “Now, the Indian Authorized Method has around 370 alumni, and I know I will inevitably be operating with numerous of them in this new placement.” &#13
photo of Ann Marie Bledsoe-DownesASU Regulation Professor Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes has been named deputy solicitor for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Division of the Inside.&#13
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Bledsoe Downes most recently served as an ASU Law professor of follow and director of the college’s Indian Gaming and Self-Governance Systems and was executive vice president of neighborhood impact and engagement at Ho-Chunk Inc. She earlier served as the deputy assistant secretary for plan and economic advancement for the Interior Department’s Indian Affairs and as interim director of the Bureau of Indian Education underneath former President Barack Obama’s administration. She also is a prior executive director of ASU Law’s Indian Lawful Software.

“It is really tough for me to go away ASU Regulation and my operate in my tribal group at Ho-Chunk Inc., but I believe in public services and President Biden has prioritized a number of issues that are also particularly vital to Indian Nation, which include local weather modify, racial justice, economic recovery and, of training course, COVID response,” Bledsoe Downes said. “President Biden has also produced restoring the romantic relationship with the 574 federally identified tribes in the United States a precedence for the Division of the Inside. I appear forward to currently being component of the staff functioning on options to these problems.”

Bledsoe Downes pointed out the implication of that team probably becoming led by Deb Haaland, Biden’s choice to be interior secretary. Haaland would be the 1st Native American Cabinet secretary.

“The importance of her nomination and to me personally and to all of Indian Place cannot be overstated,” Bledsoe Downes explained.

Bledsoe Downes supplied some essential tips for ASU Legislation students.

“I inspire all regulation pupils to think about public services as an alternative and to get edge of the programs and externships we have by means of our Washington, D.C., campus as a way to find out and hook up with the vast selection of specialist options offered in our nation’s funds,” she stated. “In reality, MLS, JD and LLM learners fascinated in Indian regulation can hook up immediately with Indian Gaming and Tribal Self-Governance Packages Government Director and Professor Larry Roberts, who is dependent out of our D.C. campus.”

Go through additional about Bledsoe Downes’s appointment in the Inside Department’s push launch.

“With today’s announcement, President Biden is providing on his determination to establish groups that exude expertise and knowledge, and glance like The usa,” Jennifer Van der Heide, incoming chief of employees, explained in the release. “We glimpse forward to doing work with the focused civil servants at the division to fulfill Interior’s missions, progress President Biden’s eyesight to honor our country-to-country connection with tribes and uphold the trust and treaty responsibilities to them, address the local weather and nature crises, and develop a clear strength long run that generates great-spending jobs and powers our country. We are ready to get to perform on behalf of the American people today.”&#13