Former NIGC Chair Jonodev Chaudhuri Joins Quarles & Brady in Washington, D.C.
Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, outgoing chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), will chair Quarles & Brady LLP’s Indian Law and Policy Group from its Washington, D.C. office, effective May 20.
In a release, the firm said President Barack Obama first designated Chaudhuri to serve as acting chairman in 2013, following his initial appointment to the agency by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. He was then nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2015. During his tenure at the NIGC, Chaudhuri oversaw the $32.4 billion Indian gaming industry spanning approximately 250 tribal nations and 500 facilities across 29 states. Working with over 6,000 tribal regulators in the field, Chaudhuri led the NIGC during key milestones in connection with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which promotes tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal governments.
Earlier in his career, he served as senior counselor to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. His 20-year legal career includes serving as a judge on five different tribal courts, including serving as chief justice of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court, the highest court of the fourth largest tribe in the nation.
In tandem with his move to Quarles & Brady, Chaudhuri will begin an ambassadorship with his tribal nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, headquartered in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Originally from Tempe, Arizona, Chaudhuri has also served as a community organizer, adjunct professor, public defender, legal services director, and author. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, and his B.A. from Dartmouth College.
