Skip to content
Back to top

Tribal-State Collaborations

Tribal-State Forums

Filter:  AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Arizona

Title: Administrative Order forming the Arizona Federal, State, and Tribal Court Forum
Parties: Arizona tribal courts, Arizona courts, federal courts
Date enacted/published: 1994

Description:

The Arizona State and Tribal Court Forum expanded to include federal court judges in 1994. The Arizona Supreme Court Administrative Order describes the purposes of the forum and the membership requirements.

For additional information contact:
David Withey
dwithey@courts.az.gov
State, Tribal and Federal Court Forum
Arizona Judicial Branch
Title: Arizona Intergovernmental Coordination Training
Parties: State of Arizona; Arizona Tribes
Date enacted/published: November 19-20, 2013

Description:

The Arizona Intergovernmental Cordination Training took place on November 19 - 20, 2013 at the Arizona HIDTA Training Center in Chandler, Arizona. The workshop was presented in partnership with the National Congress of American Indians, the National Criminal Justice Association, and with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice.

The goals of this workshop were to:

  • Build and enhance relationships among tribal, state, local, and federal justice officials and practitioners;
  • Provide information about tribal, state, local, and federal initiatives, resources, and promising programs related to intergovernmental collaboration; and
  • Develop strategies for tribal, state, local, and federal justice agencies to apply knowledge gained from the workshop.
For additional information contact:
Cabell C. Cropper
Executive Director
National Criminal Justice Association
202-448-1721
ccropper@ncja.org
or
Mark Carter
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Wilma Mankiller Legal Fellow
National Congress of American Indians
202-466-7767 ext. 242
mcarter@ncai.org
Title: State, Tribal and Federal Court Forum
Parties: Arizona tribal courts, Arizona courts, federal courts
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

The State, Tribal and Federal Court Forum is a permanent component of the Arizona Supreme Court. The web page provides the history of the forum and reports, statutes, projects, reference material, meeting minutes and pending projects of the Forum.

For additional information contact:
David Withey
dwithey@courts.az.gov
State, Tribal and Federal Court Forum
Arizona Judicial Branch

California

Title: Tribal Court/State Court Forum
Parties: California tribal courts, California courts
Date enacted/published: 2010

Description:

Web page for the California Tribal Court/State Court Forum contains ongoing projects, participants, supporting material and scope of work. The Forum was appointed by the Chief Justice in 2010 to discuss issues of mutual importance to tribal and state justice systems relating to the recognition and enforcement of court orders that cross jurisdictional lines, the determination of jurisdiction for cases that might appear in either court system, and the sharing of services between jurisdictions. The Forum is charged with identifying issues concerning the working relationship between tribal and state courts and recommending to the Judicial Council ways to address these issues. A Judicial Council member and a tribal court judge co-chair this committee.

For additional information contact:
Judicial Council of California
Administrative Office of Courts
Ann Gilmour, 415-865-4207
ann.gilmour@jud.ca.gov
Jennifer Walter, 415-865-7687

Idaho

Title: Tribal/State Court Forum
Parties: Idaho tribal courts, Idaho Supreme Court
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

Idaho held its first tribal/state court forum in 1994.  The purpose was to bring representatives of Idaho state courts and Idaho tribal courts together to discuss common areas of interest and intersystem disputes that arise from concurrent and conflicting jurisdiction of state and tribal court. A forum meeting was again held in 2001, and most recently in 2005.  A Tribal/State Court Forum website is maintained by the Idaho Supreme Court and provides information on Idaho tribes and tribal courts. 

For additional information contact:
Idaho Supreme Court
Attn: Patricia Tobias
Administrative Director of the Courts
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0101
208-334-3346

Michigan

Title: Remarks of Justice Michael F. Cavanagh, “The First Tribal/State Court Forum and the Creation of MCR 2.615
Parties: Michigan tribal courts, Michigan courts
Date enacted/published: October 29, 2007

Description:

Justice Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court, reflects on the tribal/state forum held in Michigan in 1992 and the subsequent accomplishments of that forum in a speech hosted by the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at MSU. Many of the recommendations of that forum continue today. Cavanagh discusses the considerations and strategies used in the adoption of the Michigan Civil Rule 2.615 on the recognition of tribal judgments in Michigan.

For additional information contact:
Justice Michael F. Cavanagh
State Court Administrative Offices
925 W. Ottawa Street
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 373-0128
Title: Report of the State Court and Tribal Court Forum
Parties: State Court Judges and Tribal Court Judges
Date enacted/published: 1992

Description:

Report of the first official interaction between tribal and state courts in Michigan. The forum was developed in 1992, but lapsed some years later. An excpert:

"Forum members and members of the public who attended the meetings raised a plethora of specific technical matters that require cooperation between state and tribal justice systems.  These include service of process on and off the reservation, the issuance of subpoenas, traffic violations, law enforcement, child welfare, enforcement of custody and support orders, and extradition. The forum devised a three part strategy to address these concerns. First, resolution of all the issues raised requires the consistent application of full faith and credit between the tribal and state courts. To achieve this the Forum drafted state and tribal Court Rules to set out procedures for granting full faith and credit between state and tribal courts. Second, the existing legislative efforts in the areas of child welfare and law enforcement certification must be supported.  Third, the State and Tribal Courts must put systems in place to foster ongoing education and cooperation."

For additional information contact:
Justice Michael F. Cavanagh
State Court Administrative Offices
925 W. Ottawa Street
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 373-0128

New Mexico

Title: Report of Regional Meetings of the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium in 2008
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts
Date enacted/published: October 2008

Description:

This is an extensive report to American University on three regional meetings of judges and court staff held to identify common concerns and begin crafting solutions. The approach was designed to improve the resolution of cross-jurisdictional issues. The process, participants, issues and potential solutions raised in each meeting is described in the report.

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808
Title: Report of Regional Meetings of the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium in 2009
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts
Date enacted/published: October 2009

Description:

This is an extensive report to American University on three regional meetings of tribal and state court judges and court staff held to identify common concerns and begin crafting solutions. The approach was designed to improve the resolution of cross-jurisdictional issues. The process, participants, issues and potential solutions raised in each meeting is described in the report.

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808
Title: Report of Regional Meetings of the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium in 2010
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts
Date enacted/published: October 2010

Description:

This is an extensive report to American University on three regional meetings of judges and court staff held to identify common concerns and begin crafting solutions. The approach was designed to improve the resolution of cross-jurisdictional issues. The process, participants, issues and potential solutions are outlined in each meeting. For several years, the New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium has conducted meetings to help educate and train state and tribal judges about each other’s courts, laws, customs and traditions. The Regional Meetings offer a one-day format focusing on a specific topic, providing presentations by experts in the field and then offering participants an opportunity to discuss in small groups what they learned and apply that to hypothetical situations. The experience results in the judges identifying common problems across state and tribal jurisdictional boundaries, and in beginning to craft solutions to these problems through stronger relationships and better communications throughout the criminal justice system. The 2010 meetings focused on the SORNA provisions of the Adam Walsh Act and the implications regarding non-Indians on tribal lands.

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808
Title: The New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium & The Cross-Court Cultural Exchange (Accomplishments)
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts

Description:

Provides the history of the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium in New Mexico and lists its accomplishments.

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808
Title: Tribal-State Judicial Consortium
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

Growing from a New Mexico Supreme Court initiative in 1997, the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium was formally recognized as one of the Court’s advisory boards in November 2006. The Consortium was directed to strengthen relationships and foster communications between state and tribal courts through the development of basic information about each court, its laws, customs, and values. Specifically, the Consortium is to address the issues of full faith and credit, comity, jurisdiction, child abuse and neglect, juvenile justice and delinquency, custody, divorce, child support, and domestic violence. The web page provides links to information on their projects, upcoming meetings and conferences, minutes of meetings, history and general information on their operations.

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808
Title: Working Collaboratively: New Mexico’s Tribal-State Judicial Consortium,
Parties: New Mexico tribal courts, New Mexico courts
Date enacted/published: February 2002

Description:

Article in Vol. 5, Issue 1, ABA Child CourtWorks, 2002, describes the history of New Mexico’s Tribal-State Judicial Consortium, which grew out of the Tribal State Judicial Forums of 1997-1998. The Consortium is a collaborative effort between the New Mexico Supreme Court and the New Mexico & Colorado Indian Court Judges Association. Its primary mission was articulated at the first meeting in 1998: “[t]o address questions of jurisdiction and sovereignty, focusing at first in the areas of domestic violence, domestic relations and custody, child abuse and neglect, and juvenile justice, and perhaps expanding into other areas of law.”

For additional information contact:
Kathy Spurgin
Statewide Program Manager
Administrative Office of the Courts
e-mail: aockbs@nmcourts.gov
phone: (505) 827-4808

New York

Title: Federal-State-Tribal Courts and Indian Nations Forum
Parties: New York tribes, New York federal and state courts
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

In 2002, Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals created the New York Tribal Courts Committee to study the possibility of establishing a federal-state-tribal courts forum in New York and to explore how different justice systems might collaborate to foster mutual understanding and minimize conflict. In 2004 they became a permanent forum. The group focused on three main issues: the placement of Indian children by the state family courts under ICWA; the resolution of jurisdictional conflicts arising from disparate rulings among federal, state and tribal justice systems; and the need to educate state and federal judges on tribal law and culture.  The mission of the Forum is to foster understanding and improve cooperation among jurisdictions. The site contains information on history, projects, conference, resources and information on tribes within New York.

For additional information contact:
content@tribalcourts.gov
Title: Federal-State-Tribal Courts Forum: Listening Conference
Parties: New York tribal courts, New York courts
Date enacted/published: 2008

Description:

On April 26-27, 2006, the First New York Listening Conference convened state and federal judges and court officials in sessions with tribal judges, chiefs, clan mothers, peacemakers and other representatives from the justice systems of New York’s Indian Nations and tribes, to exchange information and learn about our respective concepts of justice. The report provides background information, the collaboration process in New York and priority setting. The goal of this first conference was to educate the audience of state and federal judges as to the applicable law and practice, provide a historical context, and promote understanding and respect for each other.

For additional information contact:
Joy Beane
New York State Judicial Institute
84 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603
(914) 824-5802
jbeane@courts.state.ny.us

North Dakota

Title: Committee on Tribal and State Court Affairs
Parties: North Dakota tribal courts, North Dakota courts
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

The web page of the Committee on Tribal and State Court Affairs is maintained by the North Dakota Supreme Court, for the standing committee formed in 1994. The page contains links to minutes of meetings, short bios of members of the committee, and agendas of meetings.

For additional information contact:
Louis Hentzen or Lee Ann Barmhardt
North Dakota Supreme Court
Judicial Wing, First Floor
State Capitol
Bismarck, N.D. 58505-0530
Phone 701-328-2221

South Dakota

Title: South Dakota Tribal Court Handbook
Parties: South Dakota tribal courts, South Dakota courts
Date enacted/published: 1988, 1992, revised 2006

Description:

One of the key projects of the South Dakota Tribal-State Forum in 1992 was to revise the Tribal Court Handbook, which provides information on tribal courts in South Dakota. The handbook was revised again in 2006.

For additional information contact:
State Court Administrator's Office
500 East Capitol Avenue Pierre, SD 57501-5070
605-773-3474

Washington

Title: Tribal Court Handbook for the 26 Federally Recognized Tribes in Washington State
Parties: Washington State Forum to Seek Solutions to Jurisdictional Conflicts Between Tribal and State Courts
Date enacted/published: 1992

Description:

In 1988, the Coordinating Council of the Association of State Supreme Court Chief Justices initiated a project to identify and resolve jurisdictional conflicts between tribal and state courts.

In 1990, the Civil Jurisdiction in Indian Country Project created demonstration forums in three states. These forums designed action agendas to address disputed jurisdiction problems, including plans for developing educational programs, informal meetings and working agreements, cross-visitations, exchanges of legal materials, agreements between tribal governments and state executive agencies, state legislation and other approaches resulting from mutual understanding and communication. The forum studies are expected to provide model approaches to enhance cooperation and reduce conflict between tribal and state courts.

Washington was selected by the Coordinating Council as a forum state, along with Arizona and Oklahoma, based on diversity of tribal courts, extent of jurisdictional conflicts and a history of cooperative working relationships between tribal and state courts and governments. The Washington Forum developed this Handbook in the expectation that dissemination of information about tribal courts in Washington will improve public understanding of those courts and reduce jurisdictional conflicts.



Wisconsin

Title: State Tribal Justice Forum
Parties: Wisconsin tribal courts, Wisconsin courts
Date enacted/published: ongoing

Description:

In July of 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance sponsored a national gathering to foster tribal-federal-state court relations. This conference titled, Walking on Common Ground: Pathways to Equal Justice served as the catalyst for Wisconsin to reconvene its State-Tribal Justice Forum. The re-established committee began meeting again in 2006. Forum membership consists of five circuit court judges, five tribal judges, one tribal attorney, one legislative liaison, one district court administrator, and the director of state courts. The web page provides links to rules and protocols related to tribal/state court recognition of judgments.

For additional information contact:
Shelly Cern, Senior Policy Analyst
Phone (608) 266-8861
michelle.cern@wicourts.gov