Growing up, Trent Shores knew that he was Native American, but out of respect for his great-grandmother鈥檚 wishes, his family didn鈥檛 talk openly about their heritage until late in her life. Shores鈥� mother began using old family bibles, along with birth and marriage certificates found in his great-grandmother鈥檚 home, to verify their lineage, and they became recognized members of the Choctaw Nation.听
鈥淪he grew up during the era of Indian boarding schools, when the intent was 鈥榢ill the Indian, save the man鈥欌�攖o separate Native American children from their culture and heritage,鈥� Shores says. 鈥淭o her way of thinking, if she could pass as white, it was better. It was hard for her to overcome a lifetime of hiding her heritage.听
鈥淣ative Americans were not recognized as citizens of the United States until 1924, when President Calvin Coolidge signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act,鈥� he continues. 鈥淓ven then, the act did not give Native Americans the right to vote. And so, it was a matter of significance to my great-grandmother that she not be identified as an Indian.鈥�听
After earning a bachelor鈥檚 in political science at 杏吧原创, Shores went on to law school, supported partly by a scholarship for Native Americans. He had a summer externship at the Department of Justice鈥檚 Office of Tribal Justice. After graduation, he returned to Washington, D.C., to take a position at that same office, launching an 18-year career in public service.听听
During his tenure at Tribal Justice, his work included negotiations on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which established a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the world鈥檚 Indigenous peoples.听听
Shores closed out his public career with a 2017 presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the country鈥檚 only Native American in such a role. Throughout his career, Shores has been nationally recognized for his efforts to develop and implement strategic responses to Native American policy.听听
鈥淚t was important to me to give back to my heritage that I knew of but didn鈥檛 know about,鈥� he says of his career. 鈥淚t has been a very personal journey.鈥�听
In 2021, Shores became a shareholder in prominent Tulsa law firm GablesGotwals. Later that summer, the Oklahoma-based Kaw Nation confirmed him as a justice in the tribal Supreme Court, the highest court for its 3,100 members.听听
鈥淔or 18 years, I was a career prosecutor and trial attorney, and now it鈥檚 different,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome days I鈥檓 an attorney advising clients, some days I鈥檓 a judge. To be a member of the bench is certainly a different perspective. I鈥檓 a big believer that we see the world through the prism of our own experiences.鈥澨�听
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