Washington Supreme Court Finds State Has Jurisdiction in Washington v. Comenout

Previous materials here.

Opinion here.

ALEXANDER, J.—The primary issue presented by this case is whether the State of Washington has jurisdiction over members of Indian tribes who sell unstamped cigarettes without a license at a store that is located on trust allotment land that is outside the boundaries of an Indian reservation. We conclude that the State does possess jurisdiction in such cases, and, thus, we affirm the trial court’s denial of the motion of the defendants herein to dismiss the charges against them.

State of Washington v. Comenout Briefs

The Washington Supreme Court soon will decide whether the state has jurisdiction over alleged cigarette trafficking crimes committed by tribal members on Quinault Reservation land. Here are the materials:

85067-4 – State v. Robert Comenout, Jr. and Robert Comenout, Sr. 
Hearing Date – 06/30/2011