No ICRA Habeas Right in Tribal Criminal Contempt Fine

Here is the magistrate’s report in Boyd v. Fort Peck Tribes, adopted by the judge a few days ago — Boyd v Fort Peck Tribes R&R

An excerpt:

On September 10, 2009, Petitioner Roberta Boyd filed this action seeking a writ of habeas corpus under 25 U.S.C. § 1303. Petitioner is proceeding pro se.

The Fort Peck Tribal Court ordered Petitioner to pay a $500.00 fine for criminal contempt. Pet. (doc. 1) at 2 ¶¶ 3-4. A writ of habeas corpus is available under 25 U.S.C. § 1303 “to test the legality of his detention by order of an Indian tribe.” The phrase “detention” has the same meaning as “custody” under28 U.S.C. §§ 2241 and 2254. Imposition of a fine does not constitute custody or detention. Moore v. Nelson, 270 F.3d 789, 791-92 (9th Cir.2001). The writ of habeas corpus is not available. The Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to entertain this action. It should be dismissed.

Talk at Columbia Law School re: DV in Indian Country

I’ll be presenting my paper “Addressing the Epidemic of Domestic Violence in Indian Country by Restoring Tribal Sovereignty” at Columbia Law School today, on the gracious invitation of the Columbia NALSA and Domestic Violence Project.

ICT on Justice Dept. Grants to Indian Country

From ICT:

* * *

Tribal justice advocates largely agree that the funds are only a beginning.

“The funding is good and is an important step, but it is only a partial solution,” said Kirsten Matoy Carlson, a staff attorney with the Indian Law Resource Center.

“What is needed is real legal reform. In addition to funding shortfalls, the Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe loophole still remains.”

* * *

Matthew L.M. Fletcher, director of the Michigan State University Indigenous Law & Policy Center, is grateful for federal awards to address violence in Indian country, but is skeptical about their long-term effects.

“Federal grant money into Indian country is fantastic, and helps build tribal organizational capacity to combat domestic violence and violence against women. Continue reading

Call for Tribal Signatories for Issue Paper on Indian Country Criminal Justice Issues

Brent Leonhard has drafted a position paper (or recommendations) addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder in anticipation of next week’s listening session in Minneapolis. He is asking for tribes to sign on to the paper.

Here is the paper:

JOINT RECOMMENDATIONS LETTER (draft)

If interested, please contact Brent as soon as possible at:

M. Brent Leonhard

Deputy Attorney General

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

P.O. Box 638

Pendleton, OR 97801

(541) 966-2023

BrentLeonhard@ctuir.com

Friday Eagle Criminal Trial to be Heard in Tribal Court

Here is the news article via Pechanga, and here are the documents:

US Motion to Continue

Order Granting Continuance in Friday Case

New Paper on Federal and State Court Recognition of Tribal Court Convictions

My new paper, “Sovereign Comity: Factors in Recognizing Tribal Court Convictions in State and Federal Courts,” forthcoming in Court Review is available for download on SSRN here.

Here is the abstract:

State and federal courts increasingly are being confronted with prosecutors moving the court to consider prior convictions in American Indian tribal courts during the sentencing phase, and sometimes earlier. If the conviction being introduced occurred in state or federal court, the instant court would be obligated to give full faith and credit to that conviction. But if the prior conviction occurred in a tribal court, state and federal courts are often confronted with unforeseen complexities. This paper is intended to parse through much of the political baggage associated with recognizing tribal court convictions. To be frank, the law is unsettled, leaving little guidance for state and federal judges in these cases, while at the same time granting enormous discretion to judges on the questions involved. The first part of this paper will provide a quick overview of the constitutional status of Indian tribes and tribal courts, as well providing a basic but sufficient introduction to relevant principles of federal Indian law. The second part will offer a summary of criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country and, in particular, what role tribes play – and how well they play it. The third part offers a short description of the key cases in the field, as well as relevant federal and state statutes, and state court rules. It also offers a short normative argument on the question of what state and federal court judges who are confronted with prior tribal court convictions should look for in these cases, especially where the defendants convicted in tribal court are not represented by counsel.

Sarah Deer on Decolonizing Rape Law

Sarah Deer has published her excellent paper “Decolonizing Rape Law: A Native Feminist Synthesis of Safety and Sovereignty” in the Wicaso Sa Review. (Deer Decolonizing Rape Law)

Here is an excerpt:

The question I raise is–should the tribal government itself respond to such crimes? If yes, how–and what might a Native feminist analysis have to offer in addressing this crisis?

Many people will argue that such crimes are too serious to be handled by contemporary tribal justice systems. (3) Given the numerous legal and financial limitations faced by tribal court systems, they might say, tribal governments must simply rely on the federal (or state) system to prosecute and sentence such rapists. However, this over-reliance on foreign governmental systems has often been to the detriment of Native women. Today, Native women suffer the highest per capita rates of sexual violence in the United States. (4) Conservative estimates suggest that more than one of three Native women in America will be raped during their lifetime. (5) Rape was once extremely rare in tribal communities. (6) Arguably, the imposition of colonial systems of power and control has resulted in Native women being the most victimized group of people in the United States.7 Moreover, statistics indicate that most perpetrators of rape against Native women are white. (8) As a result of a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision, tribal governments have been denied their authority to criminally prosecute non-Indian perpetrators.

DOJ Meeting with AUSAs/Tribal Liaisons re: Indian Country Crime

On September 11, 2009, Department of Justice Leadership, including the Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General, and Director Jarrett, met with a group of AUSAs and AUSA Tribal Liaisons from around the country. The discussion focused on public safety concerns in Indian country, the federal response to criminal justice and social service issues on reservations, and proposed solutions for improving the Department’s response to crime in Indian country. The session was one in a series of Indian country stakeholder listening sessions being conducted by DOJ in advance of the Tribal Nations/Justice Department Listening Session: A Dialogue to Make a Difference, scheduled for October 28-29 in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota.

AUSAs in Indian Country

Left to Right – Bottom Row: Arvo Mikkanen(Kiowa/Comanche), Jeff Davis (Turtle Mtn. Chippewa), Jan Morley (Turtle Mtn. Chippewa), Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Director – Marshall Jarrett, Deputy Attorney General – David Ogden, Associate Attorney General – Tom Perrelli, Leslie Hagen, Vincent Kirby, Kerry Jacobson, Tricia Tingle (Choctaw). Top Row: Scott Kerin, Vince Carroll, Traci Whelan, Randy Seiler, Tom Rice, Jan Sharp, Kyle Nayback (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa).

Federal Court Upholds SORNA Under Indian Commerce Clause

Here is the opinion in U.S. v. Coho (D. N.M.), in which the court held that SORNA is constitutional as applied to Indians under both the interstate and Indian commerce clauses acting independentlyCoho DCT Order

An excerpt:

Indian Commerce Clause. It is well-settled that Congress has exclusive and plenary authority to regulate matters involving Indians and Indian lands pursuant to the Indian Commerce Clause. See, e.g., Cotton Petroleum Corp. v. New Mexico, 490 U.S. 163, 192, 109 S.Ct. 1698, 104 L.Ed.2d 209 (1989) (“[T]he central function of the Indian Commerce Clause is to provide Congress with plenary power to legislate in the field of Indian affairs.”); United States v. Lara, 541 U.S. 193, 200, 124 S.Ct. 1628, 158 L.Ed.2d 420 (2004) (“[T]he Constitution grants Congress broad general powers to legislate in respect to Indian tribes, powers that we have consistently described as ‘plenary and exclusive.’ ”). This plenary authority permits Congress to enact even criminal laws regulating the conduct of Indians in Indian territory. United States v. Kagama, 18 U.S. 375, 383-84 (1886). Congress has exercised its exclusive jurisdiction in this area by enacting the Indian Major Crimes Act. That Act stipulates that, with respect to offenses committed in Indian Country, FN4 “any Indian who commits against the person or property of another Indian … a felony under Chapter 109A FN5 … shall be subject to the same laws and penalties as to all other persons committing any of the above offenses, within the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States.” 18 U.S.C. § 1153(a). Coho, an Indian, is charged with aggravated sexual assault against Jane Doe, also an Indian, which occurred on the Navajo reservation in Indian Country. The charge against Coho falls squarely within the terms of 18 U.S.C. § 1153(a), and therefore the United States has exclusive jurisdiction over the underlying crime.

The same power that Congress exercised to enact the Indian Major Crimes Act also allows Congress to enact the civil commitment statute of § 4248 at least as applied to Indians who commit crimes in Indian Country. Congress has a protectorate or trust relationship with Indian tribes and possesses broad power to legislate in the tribes’ best interest. The civil commitment statute clearly lies within Congress’ plenary authority to regulate matters involving Indians and Indian land. While the Fourth Circuit recently struck down the civil commitment provisions of § 4248 as unconstitutional when applied to non-Indian defendants, United States v. Comstock, 551 F.3d 274 (4th Cir.2009), it noted that the law may remain constitutional with respect to “persons within exclusive federal jurisdiction (e.g. residents of the District of Columbia and members of the military).” Id. at 278 n. 4. By virtue of the Indian Commerce Clause, Indians belong in the category of persons over which Congress exercises exclusive jurisdiction. For these reasons, I hold that 18 U.S.C. § 4248 is constitutional under the Indian Commerce Clause with respect to this defendant.

Arizona Bar Journal Article on DV in Tribal Courts

Sylvia Struss, a DNA attorney, published “DV Cases in Tribal Court” in the October 2009 issue of Arizona Attorney.

Article link.