MPR: White Earth Band seeks to restore federal jurisdiction

Friday, March 23, 2012  

"Some Native American tribes in Minnesota are hoping a relatively new federal law will help reduce high reservation crime rates.

The Tribal Law and Order Act would allow for more federal prosecutions of reservation crimes. But some county prosecutors aren't eager to have federal officials handle cases that have traditionally been theirs.

The two-year-old federal law could allow federal attorneys and law enforcement back onto tribal lands and reservations six states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin. Federal officials would once again be able to prosecute cases that right now fall outside their jurisdiction, including child abuse and assaults.

The law still keeps the state involved, but reverses legislation Congress passed in the 1950s that removed some tribal lands from federal jurisdiction in the six states. Under the new law tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies and courts would review criminal cases, determining the best venue for various crimes.

To opt in, tribes must apply to the Justice Department. The White Earth Nation in Northwestern Minnesota could be the first in the country to take advantage of the law later this year."

Get the Story:
Law could lead to federal prosecutions of reservation crime (Minnesota Public Radio 3/23)