YAKIMA, Wash. – An attorney dedicated to prosecuting cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) was hired on Wed., Feb. 28 to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, according to a press release.
Assistant US Attorney Bree R. Black Horse, an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, will work out of Yakima and work on MMIP cases across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and California.
AUSA Black Horse previously worked at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend in the Native American practice group to advise Tribal governments on law, tribal sovereignty, economic development, treaty rights and complex Indian country litigation.
AUSA Black Horse’s previous experience includes being a law clerk for the District of Montana, a legal aid attorney and public defender of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and a program director for the 2023 Law School Admission Council’s Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars Program.
“Our District is committed to being a leader in addressing the MMIP crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “I am honored to welcome AUSA Black Horse as the newest member of the Department of Justice.”
A formal swearing in for AUSA Black Horse is planned but has yet to be scheduled.
AUSA Black Horse is a 2013 graduate of the Seattle University School of Law. At the school, she was the Douglas R. Nash Native American Scholar and co-founder and editor-in-chief of the American Indian Law Journal.
“For far too long Indigenous men, women and children have suffered violence at rates higher than many other demographics,” said AUSA Black Horse. “As I step into this role, I look forward to working with our local, state, and tribal partners to identify concrete ways of reducing violence and improving public safety in Indian country and elsewhere. I also look forward to honing my skills as a federal prosecutor and working with others who are dedicated to DOJ’s mission to seek justice on behalf of victims and their families.”
AUSA Black Horse will work out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Yakima office.
