If tribal governments organize tribal corporations under the IRA, they are immune from civil lawsuits unless they specifically waive their immunity. Individuals within the tribe may be sued under certain conditions, but not the whole tribe or tribal corporation. An example of how this has been done is Little Six Corporation of the Shakopee Mdewakaton Dakota Community. The company incorporated on its own terms and made its own rules, as permitted by article 16. In general, state employment laws do not apply to tribal employees.
Federal laws do cover tribal employees unless tribes are specifically excluded from the statute.
For example, in upholding Indian preference in tribal hiring practices, tribes were exempted from Title Seven discrimination policy. Tribes were also excluded from the Americans with Disabilities Act. In some cases, the provisions of a statute are overruled in the federal courts, in which case, the case law history may be considered policy. Public Law 280 Public Law 280 was enacted by Congress to address the relationship of tribes to the states. Generally, tribes were acknowledged as having full sovereign immunity from state jurisdiction unless the tribes voluntarily relinquished their immunity.