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lawyer Ben Fenner wearing glasses and a suit

Ben Fenner

Partner

Ben Fenner

Partner

Mr. Fenner has been with Peebles Kidder since 2007. Mr. Fenner devotes his practice to representing tribal interests in the halls of Congress, courts, and administrative proceedings in matters relating to tribal self-determination, taxation, and economic development. A skilled litigator and negotiator, Mr. Fenner has authored and argued successful briefs and dispositive motions before federal, tribal and state courts of appeals and trial courts.

Associations:

  • Federal Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Nebraska State Bar Association
  • D.C. Bar Association
  • Treasurer, Native American Bar Association of D.C., 2019-2020
  • Guest Lecturer, Creighton University School of Law, Spring 2010

Legal Authorship:

  • The Uneasy Coexistence of Conservative Justice and Tribal Rights at the Supreme Court, Native American Times, March 20, 2014
  • The Misrule of Law: A Recent Supreme Court Ruling Proves Once Again that Indian Country Needs a Strong Tribal Judiciary, Indian Country Today, Nov. 2, 2011, at 34
  • Indian Country in Cyber Space: Bella Hess and Commerce Clause Constraints on Interstate, Mail-Order Transactions, 71 Alb. L. Rev. 401-414 (2008)
  • Indian Country in Cyber Space: Tribal Tax and Regulatory Jurisdiction and Online Business, 12 NO. 5 J. Internet L. 3 (2008)

Admissions

  • SCOTUS

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

  • United States Court of Federal Claims

  • United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York

  • Winnebago Tribal Court

  • Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Court

  • Nebraska

  • New York

  • Washington, D.C

Education

  • Albany Law School of Union University (J.D., 2006)

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A., 1997)

Prior Legal Experience

  • Law Clerk, Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP (2006)

  • Legal Aide, Claims Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General (2005-06)

  • Judicial Clerkship, the Honorable Vincent G. Bradley, New York State Supreme Court (2004)

  • Legal Intern, Child Protection Unit, Connecticut Attorney General′s Office (2004)

  • Paralegal, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Wallace Law Registry (client: Seeger Weiss LLC, Corporate Department) (1999)

a black fence with trees and buildings in the background

Representative
Cases

Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe v. United States of America, No. 20-cv-04142 (D.S.D. filed Sept. 29, 2020)

Yankton Sioux Tribe v. Bernhardt, 2019 WL 5394638 (C.A.D.C., 2019)

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska v. United States of America, 18-cv-02878 (D.D.C., 2018)

Hicks v. Battle Mountain Band of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada, Nos. BM-CV-04-16 (Court of Indian Offenses of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada) (filed July 7, 2016)

HCI Distribution, Inc. v. New York State Police, 36 Misc. 3d 743, 744, 948 N.Y.S.2d 542, 544 (Sup. Ct. 2012)

Williams v. Lac Vieux Desert Election Board, 10-AP-03 (Lac Vieux Desert Appellate Ct. Dec. 20, 2010)

Gristede's Foods, Inc. v. Unkechaug Nation, 2009 WL 4981905 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 10, 2009)