Opinion ID: 516242
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tribal Law Permits This Case to be Heard in Tribal Courts

Text: 12 A frequent bar to tribal court jurisdiction over non-Indian defendants has its source not in federal or state law, but in the tribal codes themselves. Many tribal codes provide for civil jurisdiction over defendants only when they are Indian. The Northern Cheyenne Constitution gives the Tribal Council power to regulate the domestic relations of members of the Tribe and of non-members married into the Tribe. Art. III, Sec. 1(p). Chapter II, Sec. 1 of the Northern Cheyenne Law & Order Code authorizes jurisdiction over defendants who are subject to the jurisdiction of the tribal court. The Northern Cheyenne Appellate Court has held (in this same case) that these provisions permit tribal court jurisdiction over a non-Indian married to an enrolled member of the tribe. That court's interpretation of tribal law is binding on this court. Cf. Marriage of Limpy, 195 Mont. 314, 636 P.2d 266 (1981) (state court so bound). However, a federal court must still, under Sec. 1331, decide whether a tribal court has asserted its jurisdiction beyond lawful limits. National Farmers Union Ins. Cos., 471 U.S. at 853, 105 S.Ct. at 2452. 13