Oregon Tribal Court

Tribal courts are an important part of tribal self-government for Oregon’s Indian Nations. Most tribes have their own constitutions and laws that determine how tribal courts resolve civil and criminal matters that occur on Indian lands. Some tribes choose to use traditional native forms of dispute resolution (using a mending process that renews damaged personal and communal relationships) and other tribes use an adversarial process (involving a plaintiff and defendant) to settle disputes. A Tribal-State Court Forum

consisting of representatives from nine Oregon Indian tribes, nine tribal court judges, nine OJD judges, tribal law attorneys, and others work on cross jurisdictional issues affecting the delivery of justice to Oregon’s Indian people in the state courts. The Forum’s work has included cross-jurisdictional recognition of tribal court protection orders; issues surrounding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); inter-jurisdictional drug courts; and easing costs involved in out-of-state representation of out-of-state Indian children in juvenile dependency cases.

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