Tricia Tingle

Tricia A. Tingle has been a member of the Texas Bar since 1990. Ms. Tingle is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Her 30+ year legal career has spanned many aspects of Indian Law, from Voting Rights within Indian Country to Prosecuting Major Crimes in Indian Country to providing legal advice to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Since 2010, Ms. Tingle has led the Tribal Justice Support Directorate within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, focusing on the enhancement and operation of all 350+ tribal courts within the United States. Her goal is to create viable infrastructure within Tribal Courts, and to bring those Courts into the 21st Century.
The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)as well as Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Indian Country have been a major focus in Ms. Tingle career. In 1990, as the President of the Texas Indian Bar and the National Native American Bar, Ms. Tingle advocated for the Indian Child Welfare Act throughout the Country focusing on its implementation in Texas, by publishing the first legal analysis of the Indian Child Welfare Act in Texas. As a DOI Solicitor, Ms. Tingle authored an amicus brief for the United States in “In Re CRH” an Alaska ICWA case which set forth changes in Alaska Child Dependency cases. Ms. Tingle has prosecuted numerous cases of domestic violence and sexual assault in Indian Country and she remains committed to goals in ICWA and has led the Department of the Interior in providing Tribal Court Child Welfare Assistance throughout the United States, in addition to providing assistance in the criminal arena as well.
Ms. Tingle's career includes 16 years with the Department of Justice in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division as well as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota. She has also served as a line attorney and Associate Solicitor for the Department of the Interior, Division of Indian Affairs.