Melissa Tatum

Melissa L. Tatum is a law professor specializing in issues involving tribal courts and tribal governments, as well as in issues of law, culture, and identity.  She is considered one of the leading experts in the interpretation and implementation of the protection order provisions of the Violence Against Women Acts, and most recently worked with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to develop training materials and workshops for their law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, and court staff in preparation for their participation in the pilot project for VAWA 2013.  She has also explored issues regarding gender and identity outside the Indian law context, including with respect to legal academia, The Path of Women in the Legal Academy, 80 UMKC Law Review 795 (Spring 2012), and music subcultures, Does Gender Influence Attitudes Toward Copyright in the Filk Community? 18 Amer. Univ. J. Gender, Social Policy, & the Law 219 (Spring 2010)(co-authored with Robert Spoo and Benjamin Pope),