Tribal Court Appellate, Chief, & Associate Judges

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Purpose of the Tribal Court

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians Tribal Court serves as a court of general jurisdiction, handling a wide range of cases at the trial level.

These include civil, criminal, juvenile, traffic, Indian Child Welfare (ICW), minor trust and all other cases.

As a pivotal institution and separate branch of government for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Tribal Court plays a vital role in delivering justice through the legal system for the Grand Traverse Band and its' community.


Tribal Court Appellate Judges

The Tribal Appellate Court hears appeals from decisions of the Tribal Court, and also makes policy decisions concerning the adoption of court rules, court policies, etc. The Tribal Appellate Court meets on a quarterly and as needed basis.

Chief Appellate Judge: Hon. Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Matthew L.M. Fletcher, ’97, is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan. He teaches and writes in the areas of federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitutional law, federal courts, and legal ethics. He sits as the chief justice of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. He also sits as an appellate judge for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, and the Tulalip Tribes.

Fletcher previously taught at the Michigan State University College of Law (2006 to 2022) and the University of North Dakota School of Law (2004 to 2006). He has been a visiting professor at Arizona, Harvard, Michigan, Montana, UC Law San Francisco, and Stanford law schools. He is a frequent instructor at the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indian students. He is a member of the Grand Traverse Band.

He was lead reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law of American Indians, completed in 2022. He has published articles in the California Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and many others. He also authored a hornbook, Federal Indian Law (West Academic Publishing, 2016), and a concise hornbook, Principles of Federal Indian Law (West Academic Publishing, 2017). Fletcher co-authored the sixth, seventh, and eighth editions of Cases and Materials on Federal Indian Law (West Publishing 2011, 2017, and forthcoming 2025) and three editions of American Indian Tribal Law (Aspen 2011, 2020, and 2024), the only casebook for law students on tribal law. He also authored Stick Houses: Stories (Michigan State University Press, 2025), Ghost Road: Anishinaabe Responses to Indian-Hating (Fulcrum Publishing, 2020), The Return of the Eagle: The Legal History of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Michigan State University Press, 2012), and American Indian Education: Counternarratives in Racism, Struggle, and the Law (Routledge 2008). He co-edited The Indian Civil Rights Act at Forty with Kristen A. Carpenter and Angela R. Riley (UCLA American Indian Studies Press, 2012) and Facing the Future: The Indian Child Welfare Act at 30 with Wenona T. Singel and Kathryn E. Fort (Michigan State University Press, 2009).

Fletcher’s scholarship and advocacy has been cited by several times by the United States Supreme Court. Finally, he is the primary editor and author of the leading law blog on American Indian law and policy, Turtle Talk .

He worked as a staff attorney for four Indian Tribes—the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Suquamish Tribe, and the Grand Traverse Band. He has sat on the judiciaries of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and the Shoshone & Arapaho Courts of the Wind River Indian Reservation, and he served as a consultant to the Seneca Nation of Indians Court of Appeals.

Appellate Judge: Hon. JoAnne Cook

Appellate Judge: Hon. Matthew Massey


Tribal Court Chief Judge and Associate Judges

Interim Chief Judge Michael Long

Interim Chief Judge Michael Long is a dedicated legal professional who has served the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) and its' community since the late 1990's, holding various vital positions such as Guardian Ad Litem Attorney, Associate Judge and most recently as Tribal Attorney within the General Counsel office. With a profound understanding of tribal, state, and federal laws related to Tribal Nations, he has been instrumental in upholding justice and advocating for Native American rights. Judge Long also brings a wealth of experience from his previous private practice where he delved into a wide range of legal domains. This diverse background equips him with a comprehensive perspective on the legal landscape, ensuring a well-rounded approach to complex cases. Judge Long's commitment to the law was cemented when he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Detroit in 1996. His education, coupled with his extensive legal career, has positioned him as an invaluable asset to the GTB Tribal Court, ensuring that justice is served with integrity and excellence.

Associate Judge: Matthew Lesky

Associate Judge Matthew Lesky has been practicing the field of indigenous law from the beginning of his legal career. He was one of the first two individuals to graduate from the ILPC certificate program at Michigan State College of Law in 2005. Judge Lesky began his legal career in the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (“LTBB”) Legal Department as in-house counsel. Following his time as in-house counsel, he served two terms as the Tribal Prosecutor for LTBB. After serving as Tribal Prosecutor, he went into private practice focusing on family law, criminal defense, child abuse and neglect, and juvenile delinquency. His work as a prosecutor and as a private attorney has given him a broad base of experience and perspectives that he brings to the bench. Judge Lesky is grateful for the opportunity to serve the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) and is hopeful that his experience benefits the GTB community.

Resources:

https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/matthew-lm-fletcher Copied with permission 12/8/2025