JoAnn Jayne
Office 1Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation
Term start 1January 24, 2018
Term end 1July 2, 2025
Predecessor 1Allen Sloan (acting)
Successor 1Eleanor Shirley (interim)
State house 2Montana
District 215th
Term start 2January 1, 2001
Term end 2January 5, 2009
Predecessor 2Rick Jore
Successor 2Frosty Boss Ribs
Birth dateSeptember 4, 1957 (age 68)
Birth placeShiprock, New Mexico, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationArizona State University, Tempe (BS)
University of Arizona (MS)
University of Montana (JD)

JoAnn Jayne (born September 4, 1957) is an American and Navajo lawyer and jurist who served in the Montana House of Representatives and later became the first Native American woman Justice Court Judge in Montana history. She was appointed Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation in 2017 and confirmed for a probationary term in 2018, a role she held until her permanent confirmation was denied in 2025.

Early life and education

Jayne was born on September 4, 1957, in Shiprock, New Mexico, and was raised in Tohatchi.[1][2] A member of the Navajo Nation, she grew up on the Navajo Reservation as one of eleven children in a three-bedroom home.[2][3] Her clan affiliations are Tábaahá (Water's Edge Clan), born for Kinyaa'áanii (Towering House People). Jer maternal grandfather was from the Tódích'íi'nii (Bitter Water Clan) and her paternal grandfather was from the Tábaahá (Water's Edge Clan).[4]

Jayne completed a bachelor's degree in agricultural industry from Arizona State University and a M.S. in watershed management and hydrology from the University of Arizona.[5] She earned J.D. from the University of Montana Law School in May 1993.[1]

Career

Before attending law school, Jayne worked as a department director for the Navajo Nation Water Management Branch.[5] After law school, she owned a law office in Arlee, Montana, for 17 years.[6] She is licensed to practice in Montana state and federal courts, as well as in five tribal courts, including the Navajo Nation.[1] As of July 2017, she was an inactive member in good standing with the Navajo Nation Bar Association.[1]

In 2000, Jayne, a Democrat, was first elected to the Montana House of Representatives and was re-elected in 2002.[2] She ran unopposed in the elections for the 2004 and 2006 legislative sessions and served as a state representative from 2001 until 2008, when her service ended due to term limits.[4][5] She was also a candidate for the Montana Senate at one time.[3]

Judicial career

In 2012, Jayne was elected justice of the peace for Lake County, Montana, becoming the first Native American woman to serve as a Justice Court Judge in the state's history.[5] She began her term on January 2, 2013.[7]

In September 2013, her application for a District Court Judge position was rejected amid allegations of plagiarism.[8] The issue arose from her submission of a court filing written by someone else as part of her application's writing sample, which Jayne described as an "inadvertent mistake made in her haste to finish her application packet."[9] She ran for re-election as the incumbent Justice of the Peace in 2014.[7]

Her judicial experience includes serving as an associate justice for the appeals court for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, chief associate justice for the Blackfeet Tribal Appeals Court, and as a judge for both the Blackfeet Tribal Court and the Crow Tribal Court.[1]

On July 11, 2017, Jayne was appointed to the Navajo Nation Supreme Court by president Russell Begaye to succeed acting justice Allen Sloan.[1] The Navajo Nation Council confirmed her appointment as probationary chief justice for a two-year term on January 24, 2018.[4] Upon her appointment, she became the third woman to serve as chief justice of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court.[4] She was serving in this capacity as of 2021.[10]

In February 2025, public hearings for her permanent confirmation were postponed after the Navajo Nation Bar Association failed to submit its required evaluation reports.[11] In June 2025, the Navajo Nation Law and Order Committee voted 3-0, with one abstention, to deny her permanent confirmation, officially ending her tenure on the court.[12] She was replaced by interim chief justice Eleanor Shirley in July 2025.[13]

Personal life

Jayne moved to Montana in 1987 and as of 2014, had lived in Lake County since 1992.[2][7] She has one son, Harley Tanner.[2] As of January 2018, she resided in Tohatchi, New Mexico.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Smith, Noel Lyn (July 25, 2017). "Montana attorney selected Navajo Nation chief justice". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived 2025-11-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  2. ^ Farrell, Allison (2003-02-03). "Preserving peoples' lives paramount to lawmaker". The Independent-Record. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-11-01. – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Nenemay, Alyssa (2013-02-07). "Joey Jayne is the new Justice of Peace". Char-Koosta News. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  4. ^ "Council appoints JoAnn Jayne probationary Navajo Nation Chief Justice". Navajo-Hopi Observer. 2018-01-30. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  5. ^ Jawort, Adrian (2012-12-11). "6 Questions With Joey Jayne, Montana’s First Native Woman Justice Court Judge". ICT. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  6. ^ Smith, Noel Lyn (January 25, 2018). "Navajo Nation Council confirms chief justice nominee". USA TODAY. Archived 2025-11-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  7. ^ Strickland, Megan (May 7, 2014). "Valley Journal: Jayne, Owens square off in Justice of the Peace race". Valley Journal. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  8. ^ Miller, Alice (2013-09-20). "Plagiarism charge sinks Lake County justice's bid for district judge". The Missoulian. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  9. ^ Prentice, George (2013-09-20). "Missoulian: Plagiarism Derails Montana Justice's Hope for Advancement". Idaho Press. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  10. ^ Jayne, JoAnn B. (Summer 2021). "Duty of Fairness and Healing". The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process. 21 (2)
  11. ^ "Law and Order Committee postpones public hearings for Chief Justice JoAnn Jayne". Navajo-Hopi Observer. February 24, 2025. Archived 2025-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  12. ^ House, Nicholas (2025-06-26). "JoAnn Jayne rejected: LOC ends chief justice’s tenure". Navajo Times. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  13. ^ "Navajo Nation Appoints Associate Justice Eleanor Shirley as Interim Chief Justice". Native News Online. 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-11-01.