Gabe Galanda Quoted Regarding Federal Protection for Indian Prisoners' Religious Freedoms

Gabe Galanda was recently quoted in the Indian Country Today article, "Inmate's Religious Rights Allegedly Violated Within Texas Prison System."

Gabriel Galanda, a Seattle, Washington-based attorney and member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, is the chair of the non-profit HUY, a Salish word for “We Never Say Goodbye.” The organization supports religious and rehabilitative opportunities of prisoners in the United States. Galanda said prisoners’ constitutional rights do not end upon incarceration.

“Contrary to common misunderstanding, prison inmates do not forfeit constitutional protection just because they have been convicted of a crime and are now confined to prison,” Galanda said. “They still enjoy the rights to free exercise of religion—including tribal religion—as protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

Galanda said these include tobacco use, pipe and drum ceremonies. Galanda also said state prisons cannot interfere with practice of tribal religion unless the state prison “can demonstrate the compelling governmental interest and use the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.”

A comment such as that allegedly made by a guard in the Texas prison system would place the state of Texas in serious risk of civil rights violations, Galanda added. He said federal law does not allow for a state employee “to disparage anybody based on race or religion. The suggestion by this state officer ‘being an Indian doesn’t make you special’ could expose the state and the officer to federal civil rights violations” . . .

Put more precisely, Native prisoners enjoy free exercise rights protected by the First Amendment. Pell v. Procunier, 417 U.S. 817, 822 (1974). Despite a 1987 decision by the Rehnquist Court that supplanted the longstanding strict scrutiny basis for review with a “legitimate penological interest”-test, Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987), restrictions on Native prisoner religious practices such as sweatlodge ceremonies have been held to unlawfully infringe upon such a prisoner’s right to “free exercise” of religion. See e.g. Thomas v. Gunter, 32 F.3d 1258 (8th Cir. 1994).

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc et seq., was passed in 2000 to restore the strict scrutiny test for prisoner religious freedom claims. Under RLUIPA, a prison cannot substantially burden an inmate’s religious exercise unless the imposition of the burden on that person “is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest” and is the “least restrictive means” of furthering that interest. Ahmad v. Furlong, 435 F.3d 1196, 1197 (10th Cir. 2006). Accordingly, federal courts have affirmed the rights of Native prisoners to use tobacco for religious ceremonies, Native American Council of Tribes v. Weber, 2011 WL 4382271 (D.S.D. Sept. 20, 2011), and to participate in talking circles and pipe and drum ceremonies, Meyer v. Teslik, 411 F.Supp.2d 983 (W.D. Wis. 2006).

As an overlay, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) of 1978 announced the United States policy to “protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions.” 42 U.S.C. § 1996. Although AIRFA does not create a cause of action,” Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protection Assoc., 485 U.S. 439, 455 (1988), the law has been cited as persuasive authority in a number of cases concerning the religious rights of America’s first peoples – including those who live behind bars.

Prisoners who are Native American -- or of any other race, color religion or creed -- should not stand for any violation of their free exercise rights, especially by state prisons or corrections officers.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  Gabe assists tribal members whose civil rights have been violated.  Gabe can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com.

Indian Country Today Publishes Anthony Broadman's "Roundup" of Recent 9th Circuit Tribal Cases

Anthony Broadman has published a roundup of court cases relevant to Indian country that wer recently decided in the Ninth Circuit.

Tribal Exhaustion Compelled, but Montana Exception Further Questioned: "[I}n Rincon Mushroom Corp. v. Mazzetti, No. 10-56521, 2012 WL 2928605 (9th Cir. July 19, 2012), a non-Indian owner of a fee simple parcel of land located on the Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians’ reservation is challenging the tribe’s regulatory and adjudicatory authority to protect the reservation natural environment...."

Not All Unstamped Cigarettes are Contraband: "In United States v. Wilbur, 674 F.3d 1160 (9th Cir. 2012), the Ninth Circuit held that cigarettes sold by a tribally licensed retailer and pursuant to a state-tribe cigarette agreement are not contraband for purposes of the federal Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act (CCTA) – even if they are contraband under state law...."

Save the Peaks Attorney Personally Sanctioned: "Last February, the Ninth Circuit held, in Save the Peaks Coalition v. U.S. Forest Service, 669 F.3d 1025 (9th Cir. 2012), that the U.S. Forest Service had complied with the requisite environmental regulations in issuing a special use permit...."

Alaskan Native Fishing Dispute Hinges On Historic “Exclusive Use”: "In a tense en banc decision, the Ninth Circuit held last month that although Chugach people continuously used and occupied part of the Gulf of Alaska, they do not now have aboriginal rights to hunt and fish the area because their historic use was not 'exclusive'..."

Anthony Broadman is a partner with Galanda Broadman in Seattle. His practice focuses on matters critical to Indian Country. He can be reached at anthony@galandabroadman.com.

DOJ Supports Indian Prisoners' Religious Rights

In an landmark statement of federal support for Indian prisoners' rights to freely practice tribal religion, the Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest with a South Dakota federal district court, supporting the Native prisoners' use of traditional tobacco during worship. Gabe Galanda recently published a paper, "Protecting Indian Prisoners' Religious Freedoms," which cited various federal legal authorities on the topic:

To be clear, Native inmates “do not forfeit all constitutional protections by reason of their conviction and confinement in prison.” Bell v. Wolfish (1979). Rather, they enjoy free exercise rights protected by the federal First Amendment. Pell v. Procunier (1974). Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1987 that supplanted the longstanding strict scrutiny basis for review with a “legitimate penological interest”-test, Turner v. Safley (1987), restrictions on Native prisoner religious practices such as sweat lodge ceremonies have been held to unlawfully infringe upon such a prisoner’s right to “free exercise” of religion. See e.g. Thomas v. Gunter (8th Cir. 1994). Further, some state constitutions, like Washington State’s, afford more protection for religious freedoms than the federal First Amendment. First Covenant Church v. City of Seattle (1992).

In 2000, Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), to restore the strict scrutiny test for prisoner religious freedom claims. Under RLUIPA, a prison cannot substantially burden an inmate’s religious exercise unless the imposition of the burden on that person “is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest” and is the “least restrictive means” of furthering that interest. Ahmad v. Furlong (10th Cir. 2006). Accordingly, federal courts have affirmed the rights of Native prisoners to use tobacco for religious ceremonies, Native American Council of Tribes v. Weber (D.S.D. 2011), and to participate in talking circles and pipe and drum ceremonies, Meyer v. Teslik (W.D. Wis. 2006).

As an overlay, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) of 1978 announced the United States policy to “protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions.” Although AIRFA does not create a cause of action,” Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protection Assoc. (1988), the law has been cited as persuasive authority in a number of cases concerning the religious rights of America’s first peoples—including those who live behind bars.

Kudos to the DOJ and the South Dakota U.S. Attorney's Office for standing in support of Indian prisoners' religious rights and traditional tobacco use -- and the free exercise of Indian religion at large.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  Gabe can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com.

Gabe Galanda to Address 23rd Annual Centennial Accord Regarding Native Prisoner Religious Practices

Gabe Galanda has been invited by the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs to speak at the 23rd Annual Centennial Accord, which is being held at the Suquamish Community House on June 7, 2012.  The Centennial Accord is the annual meeting between the Washington State Governor and the elected leaders of the 29 Tribal Governments in Washington. Gabe will speak on "State-Tribal Relations: Best Practices," in specific reference to Native American prisoner religious freedoms.

Department of Corrections – Native Religious Practices

Honorable Brian Cladoosby, Chairman, Swinomish

Bernie Warner, Secretary, Department of Corrections

Gabriel Galanda, Attorney at Law, Galanda Broadman, PLLC

Earlier this week, Gabe was quoted in a front page Seattle Times article about a two-year tribal-state effort to reform Department of Corrections policy to restore various Native American religious rights and cultural practices.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  Gabe helps tribal governments and Indians citizens defend against tribal and indigenous rights violations by federal, state and local government actors. Gabe can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com.

Pechanga Has Legal Rights to Protect and Preserve Sacred Mountain Peak

Sacred places are the foundation of all other beliefs and practices because they represent the presence of the sacred in our lives. They properly inform us that we are not larger than nature and that we have responsibilities to the rest of the natural world that transcend our own personal desires ... There probably is not sufficient time for the non-Indian population to understand the meaning of sacred lands . . . We can but hope that . . . protection be afforded these sacred places before the world becomes wholly secular and is destroyed. - Vine Deloria Jr., God is Red

According to the Los Angeles Times and related headlines, a construction company challenges the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indian's testimony that the proposed site for a massive rock quarry would destroy Pechanga cultural properties, specifically a mountain peak where the Tribe's creation story arose.

Federal law recognizes the Tribe's right to protect and preserve that sacred mountain peak, even though it sits on private lands off of the Pechanga Reservation. Tribes can arguably regulate ''off-reservation activities that have significant effects within the reservation,'' which would include the disturbance or destruction of sacred sites on private lands (Wisconsin v. EPA). Tribes also retain usufructuary rights - i.e., rights to enjoy properties that belong to somebody else - in their off-reservation cultural properties (Minnesota v. Mille Lac Band of Chippewa Indians). Among those rights, tribes have reserved access rights to their cultural properties on non-tribal lands, particularly within historic fishing, hunting and gathering grounds (U.S. v. Washington).

Hopefully these tribal rights, recognized at federal common law, will be also be honored by the Riverside County Planning Commission before the world, or at least Riverside County and the Inland Empire, becomes wholly secular and is destroyed.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.

Has California Consulted With Tribes Regarding MPLA Closures?

California tribal members gathered to protest proposed MLPA closures on June 18, and they will raise their concerns at the California Fish & Game Commission (CFGC) meeting in Stockton on June 29-30. But has the CFGC consulted with California tribes regarding proposed restrictions on coastal gathering proposed under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative? Make no mistake, even though California tribes' treaties weren't ratified, the state of California still must consult with those tribes regarding state laws and policies that will detrimentally impact the tribal religious, cultural and subsistence practices of gathering food from the sea.

Government-to-government consultation is a fundamental aspect and necessary component of tribal sovereignty that has never been extinguished – explicitly or implicitly – by the federal government. California tribes should demand consultation from CFGC regarding the proposed coastal gathering restrictions, to the extent the state has not yet provided that opportunity to affected tribes.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.

Gabe Galanda Testifies At Centennial Accord

Gabe Galanda was privileged to testify before the twenty-nine Tribes in Washington State, and Governor Christine Gregoire and her cabinet, at the 2011 Centennial Accord on June 9. Gabe spoke of the progress the Tribes and State made in restoring the religious rights of Native inmates incarcerated in the State Department of Corrections, since those rights were infringed in 2010. Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.

Gabe Galanda Featured in American Indian Report

Gabe Galanda is featured in this American Indian Report article: United Indians to Provide Religious Services to Native Inmates in Washington Prisons.

“It’s extremely important for Indian Country to work collaboratively with the DOC to ensure Native inmates can freely exercise tribal religion, particularly as a means of rehabilitation and preparing them for their return to tribal communities and mainstream society,” said United Indians Vice Chairman Gabriel Galanda.

United Indians will begin by conducting a needs assessment to determine what Native American inmates need in terms of Indian religion and spirituality. It will also administer the contracts and training of Native religious service providers, including the DOC’s Native chaplains, which, Galanda said, will bring some authenticity to the program. The types of religious services that it will provide include sweat lodge and change of seasons ceremonies, summer pow wows, drumming circles and one-on-one spiritual outreach to inmates.

Before this partnership, Native inmates in Washington prisons were being deprived of their religious rights, Galanda said. The number of sweat lodge ceremonies that they could participate in had been reduced; tobacco and other sacred herbs and medicines were banned as were frybread, salmon and other traditional foods used in spiritual ceremonies.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.

Native American Religious Freedom Issues in the Washington State Prison System

Please Join The Center for Indian Law and Policy, Fred T. Korematsu Center, Access to Justice Institute, Admissions and the Native American Law Student’s Association for the following program:

Protecting the Right of Native and Indian Inmates Incarcerated in the State of Washington Prison System to Engage in Traditional Ceremonies and Religious Practices

Tribal Leaders, Practitioners from the ACLU, Galanda Broadman and the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Corrections will discuss the efforts that are underway to ensure that Native and Indian inmates have the opportunity to practice their religion and to have access to traditional religious leaders.

March 28, 2011 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM School of Law 2nd Floor Gallery

All are welcome to attend. A reception with traditional food will follow.

RSVP to Guadalupe Ceballos at (206) 398-4284 or CILP@seattleu.edu

Download the the flyer here.

Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.

Washington State Bill Seeks to Exempt Local Governments from Indian Grave Protection

House Bill 1713 seeks to categorically exempt city and county development or redevelopment efforts from compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Among other environmental protections, this bill could allow cities and counties to sidestep protocols intended to protect Indian burial grounds, graves, skeletal remains and relayed cultural patrimony pursuant to the State Indian Graves and Records Act, RCW 27.44. Washington Indian tribes should categorically oppose House Bill 1713. Gabriel "Gabe" Galanda is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  He is an enrolled member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of Covelo, California.  He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or gabe@galandabroadman.com, or via galandabroadman.com.