Tribal STAR News
Blessing of ICWA Court in Los Angeles
On the morning of July 25, 2014 the courtroom in which Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases are heard was blessed. The blessing of the court was organized by members of the stakeholders committee that has been meeting with the Honorable Amy Pellman, the judge who presides in that court. The stakeholders committee has been meeting for nine months to develop collaborative working relationships that will further the work of the court in insuring that the requirements of ICWA are implemented. The blessing was coordinated by Roberta Javier who works in the Indian Unit for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. The blessing was given by Julia Bognay, a member of the Tongva Tribe of Los Angeles. Gifts were presented to the court including a Cradleboard, a Dream Catcher gourd and a book, “Called Home” by Trace A. DeMeyer, relating the stories of Native American Adoptees. The blessing of the court is an annual event and insures that the Spirit of ICWA is present in the court when cases are being heard.
On the morning of July 25, 2014 the courtroom in which Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases are heard was blessed. The blessing of the court was organized by members of the stakeholders committee that has been meeting with the Honorable Amy Pellman, the judge who presides in that court. The stakeholders committee has been meeting for nine months to develop collaborative working relationships that will further the work of the court in insuring that the requirements of ICWA are implemented. The blessing was coordinated by Roberta Javier who works in the Indian Unit for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. The blessing was given by Julia Bognay, a member of the Tongva Tribe of Los Angeles. Gifts were presented to the court including a Cradleboard, a Dream Catcher gourd and a book, “Called Home” by Trace A. DeMeyer, relating the stories of Native American Adoptees. The blessing of the court is an annual event and insures that the Spirit of ICWA is present in the court when cases are being heard.
Judge Amy Pellman, Los Angeles ICWA Court and Leland Morrill, Navajo Adoptee
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Regarding Los Angeles County Judge Amy Pellman, who, according to the article above, at least at that time presided in "the courtroom in which Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases [in Los Angeles County] are heard," can *you*, as Mister Rogers might have asked, say "biased"? Better yet, can you say "incompetent," "corrupt," and "unfit to hold office"?
ReplyDeleteMore: http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/judge-in-lexis-case-allowed-tribal-blessing-in-courtroom/
(Can someone please confirm whether or not Pellman was the judge who made the most recent Dependency Court decision regarding Lexi and her custody, the one that resulted in her being removed from the Pages in March? If another judge issued that decision, who is he or she?)
If California's Commission on Judicial Performance and the state Legislature lack the courage and integrity to remove this blatantly biased, out-of-control excuse for a judge from office, the voters of Los Angeles County need to use their own power to recall and remove Amy Pellman from office. Never again must she be allowed to decide the fates of children like Lexi -- or of any other people.
Pellman's swift removal from office would also send a clear message to judges in California and everywhere throughout the United States: "Stop abusing ICWA and start respecting children and their rights to stay with stable, loving, safe families *now* -- or find other jobs."