UM Law Professor Receives Fulbright Scholar Award to Study Indigenous Justice

An image of Jordan Gross
Jordan Gross

MISSOULA – University of Montana law Professor Jordan Gross has earned a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to serve as a research chair in Indigenous Public Policy and Criminal Justice at the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Gross, who teaches in UM’s Blewett School of Law, is one of over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research and provide expertise abroad for the 2020-21 academic year through the Fulbright Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and leadership in their respective fields.

Gross teaches and researches comparative federal, tribal and state court systems, with an emphasis on criminal jurisdiction and procedure and interdisciplinary criminal justice reform.

Gross’ Fulbright project, “Making Space for Indigenous Justice Norms within Colonialist Legal Structures – Criminal Procedure as a Vehicle and Boundary for Self-Determination Interests in Canada and the United States,” considers criminal procedure rules and practices that reflect indigenous and mainstream justice norms.

As part of her research, Gross will visit indigenous justice forums and mainstream courts in Canada. She also will also explore ongoing collaborations with Canadian scholars, including designing a seminar class on comparative indigenous criminal justice traditions that will be co-taught with faculty from her host institution and offered to UM and Canadian students through remote instruction.

“I’m honored to receive this Fulbright Award and grateful for the opportunity to add an international dimension to my teaching, research and service,” said Gross.

Through her participation in the Fulbright program, Gross hopes to serve Montana’s Constitution by committing educational resources to the preservation of the cultural heritage of American Indians.

Gross serves on the President’s International Council and on the Steering Committee for UM’s Justice, Policy and Public Service Community of Excellence. She looks forward to representing the UM abroad and using her Fulbright experience to support ongoing efforts to internationalize institutional engagement and outreach.

The Fulbright program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and other countries.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://www.cies.org/.

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Contact: Andi Armstrong, director of marketing and communications, Blewett School of Law, 406-243-6509, andrea.armstrong@umontana.edu.