US District Court Judge Sara Hill to speak at annual Bellwood Lecture in Moscow
Hill is the first female Native American federal judge in Oklahoma history
October 11, 2024
MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho College of Law, the Idaho Supreme Court and the Idaho State Bar Association will host Judge Sara Hill of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma for the 2024 Sherman J. Bellwood Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 24, on the U of I campus in Moscow.
Hill will present her lecture, “Tribal Nations and the Law of the Homeland,” at 3:30 p.m. at the Bruce M. Pitman Center International Ballroom. Continuing legal education credit will be offered. A live stream of the event will be available at uidaho.edu/live.
Hill was sworn in to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma earlier this year, becoming the first female Native American federal judge in Oklahoma history.
Prior to her current role, Hill spent nearly two decades working with the Cherokee Nation. Most recently, she served as the attorney general of the tribe from 2019-23. In that role, she led the Cherokee Nation’s efforts to build up its criminal justice system. Hill also served as the tribe’s secretary of natural resources from 2015-19, deputy attorney general from 2004-15 and tribal special assistant U.S. attorney in 2014.
Hill was born and raised in Oklahoma and received her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, before earning her juris doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
As the largest endowed lecture series at U of I, the Sherman J. Bellwood Lecture brings prominent local, regional and national leaders to the state of Idaho. The Boise event was added during Chief Justice John G. Roberts’ appearance in 2009 to celebrate Idaho Law’s centennial anniversary and to bring this event to both locations. The lecture will alternate years in Moscow and Boise moving forward. More information is available at uidaho.edu/Bellwood.
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Media contact
Joe St. Pierre
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College of Law
208-885-7115
jstpierre@uidaho.edu