Beginning in the mid-1970s, Thorne was one of seventeen attorneys who represented members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) indicted following AIM’s 71-day occupation of the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota in 1973. Thorne worked directly with the Wounded Knee Legal Defense/Offense Committee (WKLD/OC) and spent time in South Dakota representing his clients. 

Wounded Knee Genocide Flier
Wounded Knee Defense/Offense Committee Poster
John Thorne to Judge Urbom, Consolidated Wounded Knee Cases (1974)
John Thorne's Note Cards on Wounded Knee Cases

In 1975, AIM leader Dennis Banks was convicted of committing assault and rioting in Custer, South Dakota. Banks, fearing for his safety, fled to California. Beginning in 1976, Thorne represented Banks in his quest for political asylum, and successfully petitioned Governor Jerry Brown to block his extradition to South Dakota. Banks remained in California until 1980, when newly elected Governor George Deukmejian rescinded his asylum.

Dennis Banks, Wounded Knee Photograph (1973)
John Thorne Letter to California Governor Jerry Brown (1976)
John Thorne Letter to South Dakota Governor Robert Straub (1976)
AIM Leaders Dennis Banks and Clyde Bellecourt (1973)
We Shall Remain, Episode 5 Wounded Knee Part 1

This clip, from the PBS documentary "We Shall Remain," describes the 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, by Native American activists.