Western Indian Nations Form Supreme
Court To Exercise Greater Sovereignty
Fort Washakie, Wyoming
(AP) - Wyoming and Montana Indians reservations, desiring
greater sovereignty, are banding together to create an Indian
supreme court.
The supreme court will provide an extra level of appeal for
tribes and individuals dealing with tribal courts, according to a
release from the University of Montana Indian Law Clinic, which
assisted the effort to set up the system.
John St. Clair, the chief judge of the Shoshone and Arapaho
Tribal Court at Fort Washakie on the Wind River Indian Reservation,
said the court will have to deal with different laws on the eight
reservations, some of which have constitutions, others rely on
codes and regulations. "Although there are differences, there are
lots of similarities. We've all been dealt with similarly by the
federal government and the states and we've evolved the same way,"
St. Clair said.
The step will "strengthen sovereignty," St. Clair said.
University of Montana Indian Law Clinic officials were not
available to specify which eight reservations are included. St.
Clair said the Blackfeet and Northern Cheyenne reservations are
in Montana will be included, in addition to the Wind River.
Each tribe will decide what use to make of the supreme
court, what legal matters can be appealed and whether to limit
matters that may have to do with the customs of a particular tribe.
Tribal courts differ from reservation to reservation, but
on the Wind River Reservation, the court handles misdemeanor crimes
involving Indians, civil matters for both Indians and non-Indians
within the reservation, traffic violations, game violations,
probates and juvenile court.
The effort to create a tribal supreme court was spearheaded
by the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Court Judges Association, which was
founded in 1986.
St. Clair, a lawyer who is president of the association,
said tribal court decisions will be less likely to be appealed to
federal court under the new system.
"Individuals can feel now they have an independent review,"
he said.
Twenty-four judges from the eight reservations will
participate in the court, hearing appeals of lower court decisions
in groups of three, St. Clair said.
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Michele Lord * Walk in Peace with
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