25 U.S.C. § 3631

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)

Section 3631 - Tribal authority

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to-

(1) encroach upon or diminish in any way the inherent sovereign authority of each tribal government to determine the role of the tribal justice system within the tribal government or to enact and enforce tribal laws;

(2) diminish in any way the authority of tribal governments to appoint personnel;

(3) impair the rights of each tribal government to determine the nature of its own legal system or the appointment of authority within the tribal government;

(4) alter in any way any tribal traditional dispute resolution forum;

(5) imply that any tribal justice system is an instrumentality of the United States; or

(6) diminish the trust responsibility of the United States to Indian tribal governments and tribal justice systems of such governments.

25 U.S.C. § 3631

Pub. L. 103-176, title III, §301, Dec. 3, 1993, 107 Stat. 2009.

tribal justice system

The term "tribal justice system" means the entire judicial branch, and employees thereof, of an Indian tribe, including (but not limited to) traditional methods and forums for dispute resolution, lower courts, appellate courts (including intertribal appellate courts), alternative dispute resolution systems, and circuit rider systems, established by inherent tribal authority whether or not they constitute a court of record.