Apr 20, 2022
Judge Abby Abinati is the Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe, which is the largest surviving Native American Tribe in the state of California. Judge Abby shares about what she and her people have learned directly about cultural and intergenerational trauma, and how this trauma-informed understanding provides the context for her work within her community.
Judge Abby presides over what is called a wellness court, which offers a healing path for nonviolent offenders. She describes the Tribal judicial system as “responsibility-based” - as opposed to a “rights-based” system that has become the American standard. She provides real-life examples of restorative justice and how this promotes interpersonal healing, strengthening self-esteem and community relationships.
Judge Abby shares about the work she and others are doing to return to their traditional values and create systems that support them. She reflects on the healing she’s witnessed within her community, and says, “When you’ve gone through really hard times and you can share that, there is a way to make the pain lessen. What is another way out of this pain?”
About Judge
Abby:
Abby Abinanti, Yurok Chief Judge is an enrolled
Yurok Tribal member, she holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the
University of New Mexico School of Law, and was the first
California tribal woman to be admitted to the State Bar of
California. She was a State Judicial Officer (Commissioner) for the
San Francisco Superior Court for over 17 years assigned to the
Unified Family Court (Family/Dependency/Delinquency). She retired
from the Superior Court in September 2011 and on July 31, 2014 was
reappointed as a part-time Commissioner for San Francisco assigned
to Dependency, and Duty Judge for that Court where she served until
2015. She has been a Yurok Tribal Court Judge since 1997 and was
appointed Chief Tribal Court Judge in 2007, a position she held in
conjunction with her Superior Court assignment until
2015.
To learn more about the Yurok Tribe, please visit: http://www.yuroktribe.org/
To learn more about Judge Abby,
please visit:
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2019/0327/Native-justice-How-tribal-values-shape-Judge-Abby-s-court
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/judge-abby-abinanti-is-fighting-for-her-tribe-and-for-a-better-justice-system/
https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-yurok-tribal-judge-20140305-dto-htmlstory.html
To read the full show notes and discover more resources visit http://www.narmtraining.com/podcast
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The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources.
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