Tribal Courts

Independent courts that have been established to serve the legal needs of Native American tribal members who reside on tribal reservations. The courts are as varied as the tribes themselves and adhere to laws and procedures from tradition-based systems with little or no written rules or codes to systems that mirror courts in the federal and state systems. The jurisdiction of tribal courts also varies. Some may have jurisdiction only over certain types of crimes committed in the community (e.g., misdemeanors) while the state or federal courts have jurisdiction over other cases. Other tribal courts may take jurisdiction only over crimes committed by adults and refer juvenile offenders to non-Indian courts.