Abby Abinanti

Abby Abinanti is a graduate of Humboldt State College and the University of New Mexico School of Law.When Abby was admitted to the California State Bar in 1974, she was the first California Native admitted to the California State Bar. Abby is one of a very limited number of attorneys who have been practicing tribal child welfare law since prior to the 1978 enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Abby has served as a California Superior Court Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco assigned to the Unified Family Court for the past 18 years, but retired in September 2011. Judge Abinanti has also served as Chief Judge for the Yurok Tribal Court since her appointment in March 2007. Her additional tribal court experience has included serving as Chief Magistrate, Court of Indian Offenses, for the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation from 1983-1986 and as a Judge by special appointment for many other tribal courts including Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Court (1985), Hopi Tribal Court (1986), and Colorado River Indian Tribe (1994). Judge Abinanti has served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute since its establishment in 1996.

She also currently serves as a a board member of the San Francisco Friendship House Association of American Indians, Inc., and previously served as a board member for the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association and its Tribal Court CASA Advisory Council. Abby is also the author of various training resources including two Instructor Guides for TLPI’s Tribal Legal Studies textbook series.