A Retrospective on the NALC

One spring day in 1968, Professor Ralph W. Johnson arrived at his office to find that a group of local Tribal council members and undergraduate students was waiting for him.

At the time, local Tribes were embroiled in deep and often violent conflicts over their ability to exercise their treaty-reserved rights to fish. Those conflicts, often referred to as the Fish Wars, played out in the waters around Seattle and in courtrooms across the country, culminating in a 1968 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring that the Puyallup Tribe's right to fish was subject to certain state regulations.

Johnson, who had joined the UW Law faculty in 1955, witnessed the arrests of Tribal fishers and had become a notably active voice on issues related to natural resources, water law, public lands and fisheries.

A peaceful, but passionate, plea

In a 1995 speech, Johnson recollected that the 15 people were “sitting in my chair, on my file cabinets and on the floor. Some were even overflowing into the hallway.”

The group pleaded with Johnson to teach a course at the University of Washington on treaty rights, Tribal sovereignty and legal questions related to Native Nations.

Among them were representatives from different Northwest Tribes such as Hank Adams, Bob Satiacum and Lloyd Pinkham. “They would become some of the most influential voices in the region and beyond,” said Monte Mills, a Charles I. Stone Professor of Law and the Director of the Native American Law Center (NALC).

“Johnson was definitely on some of the beaches when Tribal fishers were arrested. Most of them were men, but not exclusively. He was appalled by the brutality the police used in those arrests,” Eric Eberhard recalled from talking to Johnson after joining him on the UW Law faculty in 1973. Eberhard is a Professor from Practice and now serves as Associate Director of the NALC.

Federal Indian Law in the curriculum

Johnson began teaching the course requested by Tribal council members and students to UW undergraduates that fall, followed later by a law seminar. Ongoing legal challenges, as well as a rising tide of regional and national interest, established ground for federal Indian law to be taught in the academy. At UW Law, Johnson had long been a fierce advocate. Previously, after attending a conference with other legal scholars, teachers and Tribal representatives, he wrote a memo to then law school dean Lehan K. Tunks (1962–1968), urging the school to do more to provide legal services and support to Tribal nations.

In his Indian Legal Problems seminar, Johnson hosted several local attorneys and Tribal leaders, giving law students the chance to hear directly from people working on issues, including litigators addressing treaty rights cases that would define the field for decades to come. In addition, Johnson asked his students to research and write academic papers that he then compiled and published. The goal was to provide others interested in the field with additional information and resources, which were severely lacking at the time.

For nearly three decades, Professor Johnson led this work through his teaching, scholarship and advocacy, until his retirement from the law school in the late 1990s.

Over the years, the legal rights, status and issues facing Native nations became widely recognized as a distinct field of study, resulting in a number of courses and programs and rising interest among students.

UW Law has remained committed to its important role in responding to, collaborating with and working on behalf of the region’s Native Nations. From compiling all cases related to the Boldt Decision in the Gallagher Law Library to our students winning the Chapter of the Year Award from the National Native American Law Student Association (NNALSA), UW Law has a 50-year history of excellence around federal Indian law.

Establishment of the NALC and the Tribal Court Clinic

Joining Johnson in this work was Professor William H. “Bill” Rodgers, who came to UW Law in 1967. Like Johnson, Rodgers was deeply committed to working with, and on behalf of, local Tribes, especially on issues related to environmental and natural resources. Professor Rodgers represented the Puyallup Tribe before the United States Supreme Court regarding treaty fishing rights. Both Professors Johnson and Rodgers taught various courses on Federal Indian Law and Tribal rights. They also incorporated those issues into other classes on water law, public lands, environmental law and similar topics.

In 1998, as Professor Johnson formally stepped away from UW Law, the school honored his legacy and recommitted to its future by establishing the NALC. The NALC’s mission built on the foundations of UW’s Indian law program by promoting the development of Indian law and encouraging American Indian/Alaskan Native students — and others with an interest in Indian law — to attend law school by providing support and assistance for them during law school and beyond.

In 2001, the NALC established the Tribal Court Clinic as a way to expand its contributions to the community. The clinic provides public defenders and other services to individuals in Tribal courts. That work now includes litigation in Tribal courts in the area of family law and the Indian Child Welfare Act. In addition, the NALC continues the tradition of hosting an annual Indian Law Symposium (ILS). Currently in its 38th year, the ILS is one of the longest continuously running annual events in the country focused on Indian law.

Leadership Keeps Momentum Up, UW Law Offers a New Track for J.D.s

Professor Emeritus Robert T. Anderson was hired to direct the NALC in 2001. Anderson had worked for the Native American Rights Fund in Alaska for 12 years before serving as the associate solicitor for Indian Affairs and as counselor to the Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 2001. Like those who came before him, Anderson steadfastly supported the ongoing work of UW Law and the NALC to support Native Nations and legal education opportunities, especially for Native American students. Anderson also continued the center’s tradition of actively engaging with local Tribal governments, consulting with them regularly on issues of concern.

Through Anderson’s leadership, the NALC continued its support of filing amicus curiae briefs to assist various courts in understanding relevant legal issues to the community. Anderson served as the Solicitor for the United States Department of the Interior from 2021 to 2025.

As UW Law celebrates its 125th Anniversary, the NALC remains focused on upholding and expanding its mission while continuing the work it has done with Native Nations for over five decades to provide educational opportunities for UW Law students. Most recently, the NALC introduced the Indigenous/American Indian Law Concentration Track for J.D. students. The track offers 30 credits of coursework in these and related fields, including work in the Tribal Court Clinic, as well as the opportunity for students to have this concentration formally noted on their diploma at graduation.

From that auspicious meeting in Professor Johnson’s classroom 57 years ago up until today — and looking toward the next 125 years — UW Law and the NALC remain committed to answering the call raised by those 15 individuals who came to campus seeking assistance by way of education about the rights, status and legal issues of Native Nations.