Here is the complaint in Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation v. McKee (D. Utah):
District of Utah
Utah Federal Court Orders Exhaustion of Tribal Remedies in Ute Banishment Case
Utah and Counties Sue Government over Restoration of Bear Ears
Here is the complaint in Garfield County v. Biden (D. Utah):
Tenth Circuit Briefs in Becker v. Ute Indian Tribe [sanctions order against tribe]
Utah Federal Court Holds Ute Tribe Still Owes $209K in Attorney Fees in Dispute with Former Contractor
Here are the updated materials in Becker v. Ute Indian Tribe (D. Utah):
297 DCT Order Denying Motion for Reconsideration of Sanctions Order
302 Ute Motion to Recover Costs
303 Ute Motion for Relief from Judgment
314 Ute Reply in Support of 304
315 DCT Order Granting Ute Motion to Recover Costs
Prior post on the attorney fee sanction against Ute here.
Prior post on the Tenth Circuit decision in this case favoring Ute here.
Tenth Circuit Rejects Ute Tribe’s Effort to Force Water Rights Case to be Adjudicated in Tribal Court
Semi-Split Tenth Circuit Decides Chegup v. Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation [banishment]
Here is the opinion.
Briefs here.
An excerpt:
We begin by discussing the tribal exhaustion doctrine involved in this case. “[W]hen a federal court has subject-matter jurisdiction over a claim arising in Indian country over which a tribal forum has colorable jurisdiction, principles of comity and the federal policy of promoting tribal self-government generally require that the plaintiff fully exhaust tribal remedies before proceeding in federal court.” Restatement of the Law of Am. Indians § 59 cmt. a (Am. Law Inst., Proposed Final Draft 2021).
slip op. at 14.
Maybe a little more Restatement. . . .
Post–Santa Clara Pueblo, federal review has been limited to habeas, leaving tribal courts to adjudicate any other civil rights claims. See Restatement of the Law of Am. Indians § 16 cmt. a (“With the exception of actions for habeas corpus relief [under § 1303, ICRA’s civil rights] guarantees are enforceable exclusively in tribal courts and other tribal fora.”).
slip op. at 21.

And more. . . .
Tribal exhaustion doctrine exists to preserve tribal sovereignty and prevent the federal courts from running roughshod over tribal legal systems. See Norton, 862 F.3d at 1243; Restatement of the Law of Am. Indians § 28 cmt. a (“[A]djudication of matters impairing reservation affairs by any nontribal court . . . infringes upon tribal law-making authority, because tribal courts are best qualified to interpret and apply tribal law.”).
Slip op. at 34.
Federal Court Asserts Personal Jurisdiction over Tort Claims Arising in Indian Country [Navajo]
Here are the materials in Four Corners Health Care v. Roots Home Health Care (D. Utah):
Ute Tribe Sanctioned for Abuse of Judicial Process/Acting in Bad Faith
Here are the new materials in the long-running Becker v. Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation (D. Utah):
205 Becker Notice of Intent to Subpoena
228 Response to Order to Show Cause
234 Becker Memorandum re Tribe’s Documents
235 Becker Response to Order re Sanctions against Tribe
261-1 Arbitration Statement of Claims
269 DCT Order Denying Motion for Reconsideration
270 Tribe Motion to Reconsider 260
Prior post here.
Federal Court Orders Exhaustion (again) of Tribal Remedies in Suit against LDS
Here are the materials in Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. F.D. (D. Utah):
A related case, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. B.N. (D. Utah), is stayed:
2-2 Window Rock DCT Order on Motion to Dismiss
Our prior post on the first order to exhaust is here.



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