PLSI, TICA & NNALSA Annual Workshops & Networking Reception

Diane J. Humetewa (Hopi) was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on May 14, 2014, as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court in the District of Arizona.  In addition to her judicial responsibilities on the bench, Judge Humetewa serves on multiple court committees at the district and circuit levels.  She serves as Chair on the Ninth Circuit Committee on Tribal-Native Relations, and was appointed by Chief Justice, John G. Roberts, of the U.S. Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Conference of the United States’ Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction. 

Prior to her judicial confirmation, she served as Special Advisor to the President and Special Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at Arizona State University (2011-2014).  Judge Humetewa was formerly Of Counsel with the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (2009-2011), representing tribal government clients as a federal Indian law and natural resources law attorney.

She served in the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona (1996-2009) as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as Senior Litigation Counsel (2001-2007).  She subsequently served as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona (2007-2009).  She has also served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (1996-1998) in the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to that she was Deputy Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (1993-1996).   

Judge Humetewa is the first Native American female and enrolled tribal member to be confirmed to the federal judiciary. She is also the first Native American to be confirmed as a United States Attorney.   Judge Humetewa received her J.D.  from Arizona State University College of Law and her B.S. from Arizona State University.  She has also served as an Appellate Court Judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court (2002-2007).   

Alexander Mallory (Hakikóx Walu Piga—“makes his way”) (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) is an Associate at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.  Before this, Alexander clerked for the Honorable Diane J. Humetewa at the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and for the Honorable Daniel H. Weiss at the U.S. Immigration Court through the Department of Justice Honors Program.  He also clerked for the Honorable Paul Nihoul at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.  He is a 2016 PLSI alumnus.

Roshanna K. Toya is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta where she was born, raised, and resides today. Roshanna earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico. After graduating law school Roshanna went on to clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and the United States District Court, District of New Mexico, where she was able to work closely with judges to research, analyze and write legal memoranda spanning diverse questions of civil and criminal law. Roshanna’s clerkships were formative experiences in her legal career and created a solid foundation for her current plaintiff’s civil practice, criminal defense, and representing tribes and tribal entities.

Roshanna is also familiar with the internal workings of tribal governments as Roshanna has served her Pueblo as an associate justice for the Isleta Pueblo Appellate Court since 2013. She now serves the Pueblo as the Chief Justice of the Appellate Court. There she presides over cases related to probate, domestic relations, criminal law, employment law, and any other types of disputes that are appealed from the tribal court.

Prior to pursuing a career in law, Roshanna practiced as a social worker, focused on providing direct clinical services to American Indian youth incarcerated in state prisons, and assisting families of court-involved youth to secure community based behavioral health services. Roshanna has also been active for many years in making funding recommendations on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice for grants related to tribal court systems, tribal social services, community oriented policing programs, and more.

Roshanna serves as a member of the PLSI’s Judicial Clerkship Committee and serves as a member of the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners.

Jens Wesley Camp is a recognized descendant of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma.  Jens is closely connected to his family in Indian country and has been deeply inspired by their fight for environmental protection and the civil rights of Tribal Nations and their communities.  He hopes to continue his family’s legacy by serving Indian country as an attorney.

Jens has dedicated himself to serving Tribal communities with his legal career since starting law school at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (ASU Law).  Over his three years at ASU Law, he worked with several local Tribal Nations, such as the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and national organizations dedicated to serving Tribal communities—primarily, through a summer clerkship with the Native American Rights Fund.  During his last year of law school, he exhibited this dedication to advocating on behalf of Tribal communities at the Indian Legal Clinic at ASU Law, where he logged over 500 hours on top of his other studies.  His commitment to the Indian Legal Clinic and the Tribal communities it serves led to him winning the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award, recognizing an outstanding student in trial advocacy and clinical work.

After graduating law school, Jens served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable David B. Gass at the Arizona Court of Appeals for a one-year term, where he worked on issues affecting Tribal communities in Arizona.  In June of 2022, Jens joined Hobbs Straus, where he continues to serve Indian country.

In his free time, Jens enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, and practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brianna Segay is a proud member of the Navajo Nation and a first-generation law graduate. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Brianna is also a 2021 PLSI graduate and served as a PLSI TA in 2022. Currently, Brianna is clerking at the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One for Presiding Judge David B. Gass.

Melanie P. Fritzsche (Laguna Pueblo) is Director of Student and Career Services for the University of New Mexico School of Law. Prior to this position, she was a Senior Program Manager for the Center for Justice Innovation’s Tribal Justice Exchange (TJE) where she worked with Tribes to enhance their justice systems. At TJE, she was a member of the Tribal risk-need-responsivity tool project and helped develop a tribal youth leadership program. She also served as a Special Projects Coordinator for the Indian Affairs Department of the State of New Mexico and as an Attorney-Advisor for the Solicitor’s Office, Department of the Interior in the area of Indian water rights. In addition, Melanie was a Staff Attorney and Assistant Director at the American Indian Law Center, Inc. (AILC). She assisted Tribes in developing and implementing tribal court operations and code development. She is honored to have been asked by AILC to provide this Professional Development Workshop. Melanie was in the PLSI Class of 1992 and a TA in 1993.   

Melanie was a judicial law clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals. She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law with a Certificate in Indian Law and a Certificate in Natural Resources. She served as a staff member of the Natural Resources Journal. Melanie is licensed to practice in the State of New Mexico.