TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation’s presiding District Court judge was recently honored with a national award for behavioral health leaders.
Cherokee Nation District Court Judge T. Luke Barteaux recently received a leadership award from the national Judges & Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative.
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In a virtual ceremony held Dec. 2, Judge T. Luke Barteaux was presented with a 2025 Judge Stephen S. Goss Award for leading “transformative initiatives that emphasize treatment, healing and cultural understanding over punitive measures.”
“It’s a big honor,” Barteaux said. “They only give out a couple per year for judges, and it’s for every state and tribal judge in the nation.”
Barteaux, Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra H. Lambert and two doctors representing the psychiatry field were celebrated this year. The awards were established in 2021 by the Judges & Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative, which is a partnership between the National Center for State Courts, Council of State Governments Justice Center and American Psychiatric Association Foundation.
“Our main vision is really to work to end the criminalization of mental illness,” said initiative co-chair and retired Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman. “The impact untreated mental illnesses have on our entire justice system is quite remarkable; 70% of people in the jails today in the United States either have a serious mental illness, a substance-use disorder or both.”
A CN District Court judge since 2017, Barteaux established the Cherokee Nation’s first veterans’ treatment court and implemented forensic mental health services that integrate behavioral health care into the justice process.
“Under his leadership, the Healing to Wellness Court and restorative diversion programs have expanded access to rehabilitation and culturally responsive support,” Barteaux’s award biography says. “Judge Barteaux’s collaborative approach – partnering with mental health professionals, tribal leaders and community advocates – focuses on addressing the root causes of criminal behavior while strengthening community trust in the courts. His commitment to therapeutic justice, holistic healing and cultural preservation inspires meaningful reform across Indian Country.”
Barteaux accepted the award “on behalf of everyone at Cherokee Nation who has worked tirelessly to improve behavioral health and rehabilitation” within the tribal court system. He thanked Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and the Tribal Council for sharing the court’s vision for designing a justice system “based on alternatives to the traditional penal system.”
“In the judiciary, we see every day how untreated mental health challenges and substance-use disorders affect individuals, families and communities,” Barteaux said. “Our responsibility is not only to uphold the law but ensure justice is fair, compassionate and rooted in the belief that people can change when given the right support. The progress that we’ve made here expanding treatment access, strengthening diversion programs and building pathways that focus on healing rather than punishment has been the work of many.”
The awards are named after the late Stephen S. Goss, a longtime Georgia judge who advocated “treatment, not just punishment” for people with behavioral health needs, Leifman said.
“We know that by making sure people who need treatment get it makes us a much better system,” Leifman added. “When we do this, we improve public safety. We save critical tax dollars. And equally important, if not more important, we offer individuals with these illnesses a life of hope and opportunity. That’s what (Goss) was all about.”
Barteaux earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and administration from the University of Oklahoma, and a juris doctorate from the University of Tulsa College of Law. He previously worked as a trial attorney in Tulsa and also served on the Cherokee Phoenix Editorial Board.