Kostan Lathouris was reappointed to the Nevada Indian Commission by Gov. Steve Sisolak in December for his second three-year term.
Lathouris first joined the commission in 2017, when he was appointed by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval.
The commission, for which he serves as vice chairman, is a liaison between Nevada and the 32 Indian reservations and colonies in the state.
He is a dedicated advocate for tribal sovereignty, being part of and serving his community.
Additionally, last year he was elected and sworn in as a Tribal Council Member for the Chemehuevi tribe’s government.
“It’s something that I wish my grandmother lived to see, and I try to honor her each and every day by serving the tribe with dedication and integrity.”
Lathouris is the son of Evan and Vicki Lathouris, who owned and operated Evan’s Old Town Grille in Boulder City, where he learned much about what it means to have a sense of community.
“That’s what I admire best about Boulder City: the sense of community,” he said.
He grew up at the restaurant with his sister, Marisa, and took his oath as an attorney there after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ William S. Boyd School of Law because it felt “right because of the people I met at the restaurant had been so supportive of my goals and I wanted them to be part of the accomplishment.”
He said many people are aware of his Greek heritage but he is also an enrolled member of the federally recognized Indian tribe, Chemehuevi, a branch of the Southern Paiute.
“When I wasn’t working at the restaurant, I spent a lot of time going to my tribe’s reservation with my grandmother — and that had a big impact on me,” he said.
Lathouris has his own practice and is dedicated to asserting and defending tribal sovereignty.
“The first case I worked on was to defend my tribe’s reservation lands and the civil rights of tribal members,” he said. “That case did not end until 2020, when the Supreme Court of the United States denied an appeal after the tribe successfully obtained a federal court decision that the land was indeed part of the tribe’s reservation. Being a part of that legal team and getting that result was exactly why I went to law school.”
Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.