Tribal Court Systems: Impacting sovereignty

Source: (2002) Native American Law Digest. 12(11): 1-4.

Growth and Change. This is a time of growth and change for tribal courts,
both numerically and in terms of the subject matter of the cases they hear. As
Professor Frank Pommersheim observed in “Tribal Courts: Providers of Justice and
Protectors of Sovereignty” (Adjudicature, November-December 1995), “Tribal
courts have demonstrated an exceptional capacity for growth in competence and
sophistication in the last quarter century. They are currently hearing more
cases of greater complexity and impact than ever before. As part of this process
of significant change, tribal courts are crafting a unique jurisprudence of
vision and cultural integrity. In other words, tribal courts are responding
competently and creatively to federal oversight pressures and cultural values in
order to synthesize the best of both traditions.” (excerpt)