Kathryn E. Fort

Kathryn (Kate) E. Fort is a Professor and Director of Clinics at Michigan State University College of Law, where she leads the Indian Law Clinic and teaches federal Indian law. She founded the Indian Child Welfare Act Appellate Project in 2015, representing tribes in complex ICWA litigation across the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple Circuit Courts of Appeals. She also co-edited Facing the Future: The Indian Child Welfare Act at 30 (2009) and contributes to the Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law and the blog Turtle Talk.

Education:

• J.D., Michigan State University College of Law (Certificate in Indigenous Law)
• B.A., History (with honors), Hollins University

Prof. Fort’s research focuses on federal Indian law, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and tribal sovereignty. She has secured significant funding for the Tribal Appellate Clerk Project, which engages law students in supporting tribal appellate courts through research and memos. Her work bridges legal scholarship, practical litigation, and student mentorship in Indigenous legal advocacy.

Prof. Fort has authored American Indian Children and the Law (Carolina Academic Press) and chapters in edited works such as Critical Race Judgements (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and Child Welfare Law and Practice (National Assoc. of Counsel for Children, 2023). Her publications span journals like the Harvard Public Health Review, George Mason Law Review, and American Indian Law Review.