Profile
Judge Victorio L. Shaw was appointed by the Tribal Council as an Appellate Judge to the Wilton Rancheria Appellate Panel in 2020. Judge Shaw is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. He serves as Chief Judge of the Shingle Springs Tribal Court. He is also an adjunct professor of Federal Indian Law at University of California, Davis, and an Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) specialist for the Indian Child & Family Preservation Program in Santa Rosa.
Professional Memberships
Judge Shaw was admitted to practice law in California in 2011. He has been a member of the California Indian Law Association since 2012 and is a member of the California Tribal Court Judges’ Association. Judge Shaw is the longest tenured member on the Board of Trustees of California Indian Legal Service, an organization that his grandfather, David Risling, Jr. helped create. He was first appointed in 2010 and is the former Board Vice-Chairperson.
Education
Judge Shaw earned a Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Davis in 2011. He graduated from California State University, Humboldt with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Fine Arts in 2004. He also received a Certificate of Completion for Tribal Judge Training from the Tribal Justice Project in 2018.
Career Highlights
Judge Shaw has dedicated his legal career to helping Native American tribes, families, and organizations. He began his own practice in 2012 to allow him to provide individualized services directly to families and individuals, as well as continue traditional tribal representation. Throughout his career, Judge Shaw has helped many families preserve and create healthy family structures for their children. He is a frequent contributor to community education workshops and enjoys volunteering to help Native children and families whenever he can.
Judge Shaw organized, administered, and lectured at the California Tribal College’s series of Tribal Leadership Certificate Programs from 2016-2017. He is a Know Your Rights advocate, organizer and presenter and has served as a keynote speaker at the UC Davis Graduate Symposium.