Phil Weiser, the democratic candidate for Colorado’s Attorney General, met Monday morning with members of the Southern Ute Tribal Council. Chairman Christine Baker-Sage, Councilwoman Pearl Casias, Treasurer Lorelei Cloud, and members of the Tribe’s legal team attended.
Weiser, who served as Dean of the University of Colorado Law School and as a senior official in the Obama administration’s Justice Department and National Economic Council, is engaging with leaders in local communities across the state to learn more about their most pressing concerns and opportunities. During his visit, Tribal Council leadership conversed with Weiser about the history, lives, and priorities of the Southern Ute, and raised questions for the Attorney General candidate.
Weiser expressed his personal commitment to upholding the sovereignty of the Southern Ute nation and to maintaining a collaborative relationship with tribal nations, and said his office would consult the Tribal Council on issues relevant to Indian Country at both the state and federal levels.
The Attorney General serves as the top lawyer for the people of Colorado on issues ranging from civil rights and consumer protection, to protecting our land, air, and water. Weiser emphasized that as Attorney General, he will represent all of Colorado. He pledged to work with leaders across the state to bring high-speed broadband internet service to all communities, fight for affordable health insurance, lead on water management, address the opioid epidemic, fight for fair access to economic opportunities, and advocate for high-quality, accessible education.
Discussing the Tribe’s work to develop in-house legal counsel, tribal leaders emphasized the need for more native youth to attend law school and pursue a legal career. Weiser described plans to build on and expand a program at CU Law called “Si Se Puede,” which provides mentorship for students from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the Colorado’s legal community, including Indian Country. He and tribal leaders also discussed creating a youth apprenticeship program in the Attorney General’s office as a way to encourage native youth members to study and practice the law.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018; the State will begin sending paper ballots to registered voters the week of Oct. 15. To participate in federal, state, and local elections you must be registered to vote; this registration is a separate process from voter registration associated with participating in tribal elections. You can register to vote, update, or confirm your registration through the Colorado Secretary of State’s website: https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml. Be sure to register before Oct. 15, 2018 and to submit your ballot before Tuesday, Nov. 6
Phil Weiser is the Hatfield Professor of Law, Dean Emeritus, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Law School. He served in the Obama Administration as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice and as Senior Advisor for Technology and Innovation at the White House’s National Economic Council, and clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Byron “Whizzer” White. Phil lives in Denver with his wife and two children.