Robins Kaplan Partner Tim Purdon to Testify Before the U.S. Sentencing Commission on Behalf of Tribal Issues Advisory Group

Bismarck, ND—March 12, 2018—Tim Purdon, co-chair of Robins Kaplan LLP’s American Indian Law and Policy Group, is scheduled to testify this week before the United States Sentencing Commission on behalf of the Tribal Issues Advisory Group (TIAG), an independent advisory committee organized by the Commission. The hearing is scheduled for March 14, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Purdon, former U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, was appointed to the TIAG in December 2016. The group’s mission is to provide the U.S. Sentencing Commission with its perspective on federal sentencing issues as they relate to American Indian defendants and criminal offenses that occur in Indian Country. The group examines the impact of federal sentencing guidelines in Indian Country and provides recommendations to address the concerns of American Indian communities. The TIAG is made up of nine voting members from across the country.

“I am looking forward to testifying on behalf of the Commission’s Tribal Issues Advisory Group on the proposed Sentencing Guideline amendments concerning first offenders and alternatives to incarceration,” said Purdon, based in Bismarck. “The Tribal Issues Advisory Group is becoming an important voice in the effort to ensure the fairness of the Sentencing Guidelines as they are applied to cases arising in Indian Country.”

The full agenda for the March 14 hearing is available here.

As co-chair of the firm’s American Indian Law and Policy Group, Purdon has dedicated much of his career to protecting the sovereignty of American Indian Tribes and improving public safety in Indian Country. Along with Robins Kaplan partner Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota, Purdon represents Tribal Nations, American Indian owned businesses, and Tribal leaders in complex historic disputes and high stakes litigation.

During his time in the U.S. Attorney’s office, Purdon placed special emphasis on increasing public safety on the American Indian reservations in North Dakota. In 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Tim the chair of the Attorney General’s Native American Issues Subcommittee (NAIS), responsible for making policy recommendations to the Attorney General regarding public safety and legal issues that impact tribal communities.