Select Sources of Tribal Case Law
- Indian Law ReporterCall Number: KF 8203.1 .I53Publication Date: 1974 - 2013Includes Tribal, Federal, and State cases. Link to ILR via HeinOnline requires access to OU subscription resources. Link to online subject index to tribal court opinions appearing in Indian Law Reporter at the National Indian Law Library website is http://www.narf.org/nill/ilr/index.html.
- Oklahoma Tribal Court Reports byCall Number: KFO 1705 .A512Publication Date: 1994 - 2015Available in Print and via Westlaw Precision
- West's American Tribal Law ReporterCall Number: Donald Pray Law Library The Strickland Collection of Native Peoples Law KF 8220 .A519 W4Cases decided in American Tribal Courts, and decisions of the United States Courts of Appeals and Supreme Court of the United States.
Available in print and via Westlaw Precision.
Databases
- FastcaseContains Tribal Court opinions previously available from VersusLaw and Casemaker, as well as some more recent Tribal Court cases.
- Lexis + Practice Centers / Native American LawThe Tribal Courts section of the Native American Practice Center offers access to tribal court decisions from over 30 tribes.
- Oklahoma Tribal Court ReportsCompiled by Dennis Arrow, Oklahoma Tribal Court Reports contains opinions issued by one of the CFR or tribal courts in Oklahoma, including the tribal courts, Courts of Indian Appeals, and Courts of Indian Offenses. Coverage begins with 1979.
- West's American Tribal Law ReporterTribal court cases for over 20 select tribes and inter-tribal courts.
Select Tribal Court Webpages
Cherokee Nation Judicial Branch - Links from the landing page provide access to District Court forms,dockets (and pleadings), Supreme Court documents and case opinions; however, there is not an index or keyword search feature available for the opinions. Court Rules are also accessible. A searchable PDF of the Cherokee Nation Constitution and Cherokee Nation Code Annotated is available. A link to the Cherokee Law Database provides an ability to search Tribal Council and Tribal Boards and Commissions actions through the Cherokee Legislative Research Center.
Chickasaw Nation Courts - Links from the Courts Page provide access to the Tribal Constitution and searchable Tribal Code. However, Tribal Court opinions are not available. The District Court page also contains a link to the District Court Rules.
The Choctaw Nation's Government Tab provides links to Tribal Council Meetings and Bills information as well as Judicial Branch information. From the Judicial Branch webpage, resources regarding Tribal Courts (including contact information) and Tribal Forms may be accessed. Tribal Codes are also linked from the Judicial Branch webpage and are accessible in a searchable PDF format.
The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Tribal Courts webpage provides a link to Applications/Fees/Forms/Ordinances.Following the link will lead you to additional links to the Tribal Rules of Evidence and Rules of Civil Procedure as well as to other codes and ordinances. A careful examination also reveals form such as a Petition for Adult Guardianship, Petition for Protective Order, and Petition for Divorce. However, no Tribal Court opinions are currently available on the Tribe's website.
Muskogee Creek Nation Supreme Court - Links from the landing page provide access to the Tribal Constitution, Code, and Supreme Court Opinions issued since 2009. However, no central search function is available and documents are posted as PDF files.
The Osage Nation's "Who We Are" Tab provides access to the Osage Attorney General information, including AG opinions in a PDF format; however, a search function for the AG opinions is not available. Similarly, the tab links to Osage Judicial Branch information. The Judicial Branch page provides access to Administrative Orders and Court Rules. Links from the Judicial Branch to the Supreme Court and Trial Court are also provided. Audio recordings of some oral arguments are included on the Supreme Court page. Osage Supreme Court Opinion are also available in a PDF format; however, there is no search functionality. The Trial Court does include a link entitled "Case Information" but this is not recent case information but currently links to statistical caseload information in 2012 & 2013.
In the right navigation column of the Sac and Fox Nation's website, the Government Category links to the Sac and Fox Constitution and the Tribal Code of Laws. While there is a link for the Judicial Branch, the information provided does not include court rules, forms, opinions or dockets.
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Courts - Provides links to tribal court forms and instructions for pro se litigants. Does not provide access to Tribal Court Opinions. The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Landing Page (under the Government Tab) does provide link to Tribal Constitution and Code.
Books
American Indian Tribal Governments by Call Number: E 98 .T77 O27 1989ISBN: 0806125640Publication Date: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989Introduction to American Indian history and tribal governments
Link goes to text through EBSCOhost.
Introduction to Tribal Legal Studies, 2nd ed. by Call Number: KF 8205 .R53 2010ISBN: 0759112118Publication Date: 2010Deals with the complicated relationship between tribal, federal and state law.
American Indian Tribal Law by Call Number: Donald Pray Law Library Donald Pray Law Library Law ReservesISBN: 9798889061618Publication Date: 2024-03-07Nearly every American Indian tribe has its own laws and courts. Taken together, these courts decide thousands of cases. Many span the full panoply of law, from criminal, civil, and probate cases to divorce and environmental disputes. The Third Edition of American Indian Tribal Law surveys the full spectrum of tribal justice systems. With cases, notes, and historical context, this text is ideal for courses on American Indian Law or Tribal Governments, and an essential orientation to legal practice within tribal jurisdictions. New to the Third Edition: New materials on Anishinaabe jurisprudence Additional materials on tribal laws incorporating Indigenous language and culture Recent and noteworthy cases from tribal courts Additional examples from tribal justice systems and practice Professors and students will benefit from: A broad survey of dispute resolution systems within tribal jurisdictions A review of recent flashpoints in tribal law Cases and material reflecting a wide range of American Indian tribes and legal issues Excerpts and commentary from a wellspring of current scholarship.
American Indian Politics and the American Political System 3rd ed. by Call Number: E 98 .T77 W545 2011ISBN: 1442203889Publication Date: 2010Analyzes the structures and functions of indigenous governments (including Alaskan Native communities and Hawaiian Natives) and the distinctive legal and political rights these nations exercise internally.
Tribal Criminal Law and Procedure by Call Number: KF 8210. C7 G37 2015ISBN: 0759107181Publication Date: 2015Examines the complex subject of tribal criminal law and procedure from a tribal perspective—utilizing tribal statutory law, tribal case law, and the cultural values of Native peoples.
Tribal Constitutionalism : States, Tribes, and the Governance of Membership by Call Number: K 3247 .G68 1010ISBN: 0199587094Publication Date: 2010Comparative treatment of tribal governance in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.- United States Tribal Courts Directory, 4th edition byCall Number: KF 8224 .C6 539 2011ISBN: 9780837716954Publication Date: 2011
Journals
- Tribal Law JournalOnline only. Includes tribal court case comments, reflections on tribal systems, the development of tribal law, the value of tribal law, interviews, and teachings.
- American Indian Law ReviewPublished by the University of Oklahoma College of Law - Available in Library K1 .M437
Tribal Legal History
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma: A Legal History by Call Number: E 99 .S28 W67 2010ISBN: 9780806140896Publication Date: 2010-06-21When it adopted a new constitution in 1969, the Seminole Nation was the first of the Five Tribes in Oklahoma to formally reorganize its government. In the face of an American legal system that sought either to destroy its nationhood or to impede its self-government, the Seminole Nation tenaciously retained its internal autonomy, cultural vitality, and economic subsistence. Here, L. Susan Work draws on her experience as a tribal attorney to present the first legal history of the twentieth-century Seminole Nation. Work traces the Seminoles' story from their removal to Indian Territory from Florida in the late nineteenth century to the new challenges of the twenty-first century. She also places the history of the Seminole Nation within the context of general Indian law and policy, thereby revealing common threads in the legal struggles and achievements of the Five Tribes, including their evolving relationships with both federal and state governments. As Work amply demonstrates, the history of the Seminole Nation is one of survival and rebirth. It is a dramatic story of an Indian nation overcoming formidable obstacles to move forward into the twenty-first century as a thriving sovereign nation.
- How to Build a Tribal Legal HistoryPrepared by Nancy Carol Carter, this resource outlines the elements of a tribal legal history, including treaties, compacts, etc. and also provides guidance on how to locate the resources.
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Megli, Austin C.. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: History, Influences, and Contemporary Setting of the Choctaw Legal Structure. Tribal Law Journal 18, 1 (2018), https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/tlj/vol18/iss1/1.