A reported 200 people attended a forum hosted by the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians to discuss Public Law 280.

Legal experts and tribal leaders discussed the law, which was passed during the termination era. It grants certain states, including California, criminal and civil jurisdiction in Indian Country.

"Why do we still have this damn law on the books? Why don't we repeal it?" said Joe Myers, the executive director of the National Indian Justice Center, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. "It deserves some consideration."

States that fall under PL280 have not dedicated enough resources to reservation law enforcement, attendees said. Carole Goldberg, a UCLA law professor and expert on the law, said Congress should make it easier for the states to "retrocede" their jurisdiction.

The law has become an issue amid fears of violence on the Soboba Reservation. The tribe says it must be notified before deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department enter the reservation but the sheriff says they can go whenever they want.

Get the Story:
Soboba-sponsored forum argues pros and cons of keeping Public Law 280 (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 8/12)
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200 turn out for forum about deputies on reservations (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 8/11)
Public Law 280, different interpretations (KPSP 8/11)

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