Sarah Deer

The Tribal Law and Order Act will be signed into law by President Obama Thursday afternoon at 4:45 pm Eastern, according to one Minnesotan who’ll be present for it. Sarah Deer, an assistant professor at William Mitchell College of Law, has been invited to attend. A member of the the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, Deer coauthored Amnesty International’s 2007 report “Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Violence” (pdf).

“The federal government’s relationship with tribal governments, its obligations under treaty and law, and our values as a nation require that we do more to improve public safety in tribal communities,” Obama said in a statement after last Wednesday’s passage of the bill by the U.S. House. “And this Act will help us achieve that. It will strengthen the relationship between the federal government and tribal governments. It will improve our ability to work with tribal communities in the investigation and prosecution of crime, and it authorizes resources for tribes to fight crime more effectively.”

The Tribal Law and Order Act was passed as an amendment to HR 725 by a vote of 326-92. Minnesota’s entire congressional delegation voted for the measure, with one exception: Sixth Congressional District Republican Michele Bachmann. Bachmann’s office didn’t respond to the Minnesota Independent’s request for comment on her opposition.