Attorney Jenna Macaulay Appointed to First New York State Burial Site Review Committee

Firm Attorney Jenna Macaulay (Tuscarora Nation) has been appointed to serve on the New York State Committee newly established to review pending threats to unmarked burials. For decades, Firm clients the Haudenosaunee (comprised of the Tonawanda Seneca, Tuscarora, Onondaga, Cayuga and Mohawk Nations) have advocated for better safeguards against the desecration of their ancestors, whose unmarked burial sites New York State law has failed to protect. In May of 2023, with the Firm’s assistance, these efforts culminated in the signing into law of New York State’s Unmarked Burial Site Protection Act, which imposes criminal penalties for desecration of burial sites and seeks to ensure respectful treatment of indigenous human remains. The law creates a committee to review reports of unanticipated burial site discoveries; notify Nations and tribes of potentially affiliated burials; and protect indigenous ancestors from desecration. The Tuscarora Nation has appointed Ms. Macaulay, a Nation citizen, to represent the Nation’s interests on the Committee. Jenna Macaulay, Esq., has worked for the Firm since 2012 and represents Nations and tribes in New York State and California on a wide range of issues, including cultural resource protection, child welfare, health care, and the environment.