Several tribes native to Alaska are considering a push for their own tribal courts. One such court, for the Tlingit and Haida tribes, has been operating in Juneau since 2007.
The AP reports:
Marina Rose Anderson, the vice president and administrative assistant for the Organized Village of Kasaan, was among the officials who attended the conference. Issues that happen close to home should be handled close to home, Anderson said, rather than having people outside the community make legal decisions.
Her goal is to make the tribe as independent as possible, Anderson said.
Hoonah Indian Association Tribal Administrator Robert Starbard had similar thoughts.
“I think for us, the primary importance of a tribal court is that it gives additional legitimacy and eligibility to our sovereignty,” he said. “You cannot be sovereign if you cannot exercise control over what happens with your ordinances and laws. Tribal court is a mechanism that allows us to do that.”
Indeed.
The Interdependent Third Branch 