A California county judge held a hearing on Monday in a disenrollment case affecting the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians.

According to the Associated Press, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles D. Field questioned whether people being ousted from the tribe are receiving the constitutional protection of due process. But Feld said he needs more time to decide whether he has jurisdiction to review the actions of the tribe's enrollment committee.

The suit is based on a novel interpretation of Public Law 280, which grants the state civil and criminal jurisdiction on tribal lands. Eleven plaintiffs representing 130 people who face disenrollment say the law gives the state the power to intervene.

The tribe says it is protected by sovereign immunity.

Get the Story:
133 Pechanga members challenge tribe's right to oust them (The North County Times 4/20)
Tribal dispute on hold (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 4/20)
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Riverside judge says due process tops tribal law (AP 4/19)
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