Chief Justice Dr. James D. Diamond
James D. Diamond is Mattakeeset Tribal Council Chief Justice and Judge of the Mattakeeset Tribal Court. As Chief Justice he presides over the administration of the Tribal Court. Diamond is also the Dean of Academic Affairs at The National Tribal Trial College. He is the former Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program's Tribal Justice Clinic and former law professor at the University of Arizona College of Law. Diamond taught the Tribal Justice Clinic, Tribal Courts/Tribal Law, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure there. Diamond was a Special Prosecutor in the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Court in Arizona. He joined the faculty of the National Tribal Trial College in 2016. Currently, Diamond teaches Indian Law subjects as Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University Law School in Rhode Island. Prior to teaching, Dr. Diamond practiced law for 25 years in Connecticut. He achieved success as a criminal attorney as both a state prosecutor and a defense attorney. Diamond is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a criminal trial specialist, has extensive criminal trial experience and was the lead lawyer in more than 1,000 criminal cases. Dr. Diamond is admitted to practice law in numerous Tribal Courts, the States of Connecticut, Arizona, New York and Arizona and numerous federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Diamond obtained a doctoral degree (S.J.D.) in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona College of Law, a juris doctor (J.D.) from Brooklyn Law School and a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from The State University of New York at Albany.
Associate Justice Paul F. Meleedy, JD, ARM, ARM-P
Mr. Meleedy formerly served as Chief Justice of the Mattakesett Tribe and continues to serve as an associate justice. Mr. Meleedy is a member of the Native American Bar Association, and a part-time adjunct professor at Northern Essex Community College, Division of Business and Technology. Attorney Meleedy has over 20 years of litigation experience concerning non-profits, public official’s liability, and mediation of complex disputes. Mr. Meleedy is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Florida, and New Hampshire. Attorney Meleedy is recognized nationally in the risk management field and is a frequent guest speaker on legal matters, claims and insurance trends.