"The U.S. Supreme court has denied hearing an Alaska tribal adoption case, ending a four-year legal battle between the state and the Kaltag tribal council.

Although the case was first litigated in 2006, the legal opinion that prompted the state’s challenge dates back to 2004, when then Attorney General Greg Renkes issued an opinion stating tribal courts did not have the authority to initiate cases, only to take them if referred from state court. Native American Rights Fund attorney Natalie Landreth argued the case for Kaltag.

Landreth says the Supreme Court reaffirmed what had been decided in an older tribal court appeal stating the Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA created “concurrent but presumptively tribal jurisdiction.” Landreth says there is a long tradition of tribal court authority over domestic relations of their tribal members.

State senior assistant attorney general Peter Putzier says jurisdiction over members is at the heart of why the state continued challenging the case through several appeals. Putzier says ICWA is not clear about whether tribal courts have jurisdiction over members of other tribes or non native people.

NARF’s Landreth says the end of this case does not diminish the state court concurrent authority with tribal courts but she says tribal councils and courts are the first responders in their communities when children need protection and it’s important for the “presumptively tribal” aspect of ICWA to be followed. She says in the Kaltag case, the council took custody and found a safe home for a child who had been living in abhorrent conditions. She says state and tribal courts can complement each other, but even after the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the state’s case, there is a system wide problem."

Get the Story:
Alaska Tribal Adoption Case Will Not Go to Supreme Court (Alaska Public Radio Network 10/4)

Relevant Documents:
NARF Press Release (October 4, 2010)

9th Circuit Decision:
Kaltag Tribal Council v. Jackson (August 28, 2009)

Related Stories:
No new Indian law cases in Supreme Court's latest docket sheet (9/28)
Turtle Talk: Supreme Court faces busy term with Indian law cases (9/27)
Obama administration supports tribe in ICWA case from Alaska (9/22)
Supreme Court asks for DOJ views on Alaska ICWA case (4/26)
Alaska Native ICWA case considered a petition to watch (4/20)
Alaska presses Supreme Court in tribal adoption case (3/11)
Alaska attorney general nominee has Native ties (6/17)
Failed Alaska nominee signed land-into-trust letter (5/11)
Alaska lawmakers reject attorney general nominee (4/17)
Editorial: Bigotry an issue for Alaska attorney general pick (4/16)
Alaska nominee grilled on Native rights issues (4/9)
Editorial: Alaska nominee's past views not an issue (4/8)
Alaska nominee won't discuss tribal sovereignty (4/3)
Alaska Natives oppose state attorney general pick (4/1)