The Sky is the Limit: Returning to the U.S. Supreme Court as a Lumbee Attorney

In 2017, as a law student, I sat in the Supreme Court of the United States to hear oral arguments in Lewis v. Clarke, 581 U.S. 155 (2017). Nearly nine years later, I found myself back in that very place, but this time I was being sworn in to the Nation’s highest court. The privilege of taking this oath at the Supreme Court is one shared by other Lumbees who have blazed trails for Indigenous attorneys across the Country, including Arlinda Locklear, notable as the first Native American woman to argue successfully before the Court.

My husband Billy Locklear Canty and I outside the Supreme Court of the United States.

As I stood at the fireplace while waiting to go into the Court, surrounded by portraits of former justices, all non-Indigenous men, I reflected on the legacy of Indigenous attorneys that came before me and those in the room waiting to be sworn in alongside me, all doing good work for Indigenous communities. I also reflected on my personal aspirations: to serve and uplift my Tribe, my community, and tribes throughout the Country through the legal profession, a career path once rare among Indigenous peoples due to restrictive U.S. laws and policies.

Back in 1973, my paternal grandpa Curt Locklear was interviewed for the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. When asked what he wished would change in the Indian community, he expressed his dream that Lumbee people would break boundaries to become professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and more. During his life, Grandpa witnessed these barriers crumble, which he expressed in his interview. Of Indian children experiencing barriers due to their identity, he remarked they “gotta have that feeling that the sky is the limit. Now they got the feeling that the sky is the limit.” Grandpa saw his dream become a reality with more Lumbees becoming lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, and more. He proudly noted, “[t]hat was one of the great things I wanted to see happen . . . and it has happened.”

Although my Grandpa passed away before I became a lawyer, his words and his legacy inspired and motivated me throughout law school and beyond. On January 21st, standing before the U.S. Supreme Court hearing the names of Tribal nations with the announcement of my surnames, I felt the presence of my grandparents, parents, and community in the woman I've become. In moments like these, I’m reminded that achieving your dreams requires persistence and dedication, and that limitations are meant to be shattered. I look forward to what's next in my legal career and for the future of my community and Indian Country. As my Grandpa wisely said, the sky really is the limit.

I'd like to extend a special thank you to the Native American Bar Association of D.C. (NABA-DC) and NABA-DC Board Member Lucas LaRose for organizing the swearing-in ceremony as well as to Joshua Clause of Clause Law P.L.L.C. for serving as the Movant.