San Manuel Tribal Court

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The San Manuel Tribal Court is a tribal court in Highland, California serving the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians. The court system includes a trial court and an appellate court.[1]

## Contents

* 1 About tribal courts
* 2 Jurisdiction
* 3 History
* 4 Trial court
* 5 Appellate court
* 6 External links
* 7 Footnotes

## About tribal courts[edit]

There were approximately 400 tribal courts in the United States as of 2021, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.[2] These courts can hear both criminal and civil cases regarding tribal code. Tribes that do not establish their own court may use a regional Court of Indian Offenses. These are also known as CFR Courts, since they were established by the Code of Federal Regulations.[3]

## Jurisdiction[edit]

The San Manuel Tribal Court exercises civil jurisdiction over all tribal members and "and persons who have consented to tribal jurisdiction, either expressly or implicitly by entering the San Manuel Reservation or engaging in contractual relations with the Tribe."[1]

## History[edit]

The court was legally established under the San Manuel Judicial Code, which was instituted in 2003. The court did not actually begin operations until October of 2009.[1]

## Trial court[edit]

The trial division of the San Manuel Tribal Court is presided over by the chief judge. In the absence of a chief judge, a qualifying individual may be appointed pro tempore.[1]

## Appellate court[edit]

The appellate division of the San Manuel Tribal Court consists in a three-judge panel, which hears appeals of final rulings and court orders from the trial court. A fourth judge has been appointed to serve as an alternate so that the court can still hold sessions when one of the original three is unavailable.[4]

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* U.S. Department of the Interior - Tribal Court Systems
* Tribal Law and Policy Institute - Tribal Court Clearinghouse
* San Manuel Tribal Court

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, "San Manuel Tribal Court," accessed March 2, 2021
2. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Tribal Court Systems," accessed February 21, 2021
3. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Court of Indian Offenses," accessed February 21, 2021
4. ↑ San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, "San Manuel Tribal Court - Appellate Court," accessed March 2, 2021

California courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California