8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
CHECK-IN, BREAKFAST, “MEET & GREET”

9:00 – 9:10 a.m.
Prayer and Welcome

9:10 – 9:55 a.m.
2025 Case Law Update
An update of recent decisions and important cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and Minnesota state courts, and the implications these cases have for your clients and tribal nations.
– Professor Kekek Jason Stark

9:55 – 10:00 a.m.
BREAK

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
The Trump Administration’s Impact on Indian Country 
This panel will discuss the first 100 days of the second Trump Presidency and how it has impacted Indian country, along with the administration’s potential priorities over the next four years.
– Holly Cook Macarro & Mark Cruz 
– Wendy L. Helgemo (moderator)

11:00 – 11:15 a.m.
BREAK

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
The Indian Card – A Discussion of the History, Implications, and Importance of Native Identity
This session, featuring Carrie Schuettpelz, author of the The Indian Card: Who Gets to be Native in America, delves into the complex issue of Native American identity and how laws and policies around Native identity impact Native culture and society. Leveraging the scholarship of Professor’s Schuettpelz book, this session will look at the historical context of tribal enrollment; unpack the practical implications of tribal membership relative to federal benefits, jurisdiction, and tribal sovereignty; and touch upon the debates surrounding blood quantum, lineal descent, and other issues of membership.
– Deidre Y. Aanstad, Professor Jill Doerfler, Ph.D. & Professor Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz, Ph.D.
– Judge Sarah I. Wheelock (moderator)

12:15 – 1:40 p.m.
LUNCH
Courtesy of Minnesota CLE
Catered by Native Harvest Catering
Honoring of
Judge Korey Wahwassuck (ret.)
Ninth Judicial District

1:40 – 2:40 p.m. 
Interjurisdictional Collaboration: From Transfer Agreements to Joint Jurisdiction Courts
Attendees will learn about a broad range of Tribal-State-Local interjurisdictional collaborations, and will receive tips for successfully launching new collaborative projects and reinvigorating existing ones.
– Jason Decker, Hillary Hoffmann, Professor Douglas P. Thompson & Judge Korey Wahwassuck 

2:40 – 2:50 p.m.
BREAK

2:50 – 3:35 p.m.
AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSION

001
Practice Development – Researching Federal Indian Law and Tribal Law
Researching Federal Indian law and Tribal law can be a daunting task because it often requires the practitioner to locate historical resources, legislative history for statutes enacted more than a century ago, tribal customs, tribal court laws and opinions, and other sources that are not readily found on Westlaw/Lexis. This panel will provide you with practical guidance about how to find the sources you need to get the results your clients want.
– Professor Sarah Deer, Sarah E. Larsen & Judge Colette Routel

002
Preserving Tribal Sovereignty and Protecting the Rights of Indian Children and Families – The 2025 ICWA Update
Join experienced ICWA practitioners for an inside look at the issues being litigated before the Minnesota Supreme Court in In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: L.K. and A.S. Parents, No. A24-1296, a case involving the application of ICWA and MIFPA in Minnesota, and Tix v. Tix, a Minnesota federal court case addressing the issue of whether a Tribal Court has authority to adjudicate a marriage dissolution proceeding  when one of the parties is not a tribal member and neither party resides on tribal lands. The session includes a discussion of Tribal Court practices, ICWA, and MIFPA in Minnesota  custody and child support cases.
– Jody M. Alholinna, Gary A. Debele & Veronica S. Newcomer 

3:35 – 3:45 p.m.
BREAK

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Decolonizing Gender: How Tribes Can Protect Transgender, Two-Spirit, and Gender-Nonconforming Individuals through Tribal Law 
1.0 elimination of bias applied for
This panel will discuss the current legal landscape affecting transgender, two-spirit, and other gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals’ rights at the federal and state levels; provide a brief, non-exhaustive review of how Western colonization affected Indigenous communities’ traditional ideas about gender; and describe opportunities for Tribes to protect transgender, two-spirit, and other GNC individuals through Tribal law.
– Mariah Norwood & Professor Ann Tweedy
– Ellen C. Currier (moderator)

4:45 – 5:15 p.m.
ANNUAL RECEPTION
Spend time creating community and connecting with friends and colleagues.

LIVE IN-PERSON
Friday, May 16, 2025
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370
Seventh Street & Nicollet Mall, Third Floor City Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota

ONLINE REPLAY
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Attend online
Online replay includes all plenary and breakout sessions. A moderator will be available to answer questions by email.

$345 MSBA members
$345 MNABA members
$345 paralegals
$395 standard rate

Other discounts that may apply:

• Season Pass Discount
• New Lawyer Discount

Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.

Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 5.5 CLE credits, including 1.0 elimination of bias credit. The maximum number of total credits attendees may claim for this program is 5.5 credits.