Page 8 - Tribal Court Law and Justice Booklet

Meet the Judges

Associate Judge Janine B. Van Dusen
Judge Van Dusen was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is an enrolled
citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Information Studies and Communication from Florida State University,
Tallahassee in 2002, and her JD from the Florida A&M University
College of Law, Orlando in 2007. While in law school she concentrated
on Indian Law and Indian Child Welfare Issues.
After law school Judge Van Dusen joined a law firm in Orlando, Florida,
and subsequently opened her own private law firm in 2008. She has
served as an attorney guardian ad litem for the Eighteenth Judicial
Circuit Court, Viera Florida, and was a member of the U.S. District Court
– Middle District of Florida. Her practice focused on family law, juvenile
dependency, and estate planning and was practicing until 2012 when
she and her family moved back to Washington state. She has handled
hundreds of civil and criminal cases representing clients in state, federal
and tribal courts in both Florida and Washington.
Judge Van Dusen joined the Tulalip Tribal Court in 2012. While at the
Tulalip Tribal Court, Judge Van Dusen served as the Court Administrator,
Pro Se Judicial Facilitator, and the Domestic Violence Victim’s Advocate
Attorney with Tulalip Civil Legal Aid Office (TOCLA). Judge Van
Dusen was the managing attorney for TOCLA from 2015–2017. She
also served as an Adjunct Professor at Northwest Indian College, Tulalip
Campus teaching Cultural Sovereignty, and was a member of the Florida
Justice Teaching task force at local schools.

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