FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         OTJ
Saturday, December 2, 1995                         (202) 616-2765
(Embargoed for Saturday)                        DD (202) 514-1888
                                 
      AG JANET RENO CALLS TRIBAL COURTS 'VITAL' AT HISTORIC
     TRIBAL COURT SYMPOSIUM WITH NORTHEASTERN TRIBAL NATIONS

     CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Calling tribal courts "vital" to Native
American sovereignty, Attorney General Janet Reno brought
together, for the first time ever, tribal judges and leaders from
nearly every Northeastern tribe and federal and state judges to
discuss ways to strengthen the tribal court systems.  Developing
procedures to recognize tribal court orders such as child support
and protective orders against violence on Indian women was one of
the goals of Tribal Court Symposium.    
     Reno travelled to Harvard Law School to co-host the day-long
symposium.  Tribal judges and federal and state judges from
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Rhode
Island as well as Canadian officials and Canadian Indian nations
were represented.  The symposium is a follow-up to the Northwest
American Indian Conference convened in Salt Lake City last June
which centered on tribal courts and the magistrate projects. 
     Tribal self-government--and its backbone, the tribal court
system-- has gained national recognition in the last 30 years. 
Now, in addition to the core tribal court caseload involving
criminal offenses by Indians, tribal courts increasingly are
being called upon to decide domestic, commercial and other civil
cases between Indians and non-Indians in Indian Country.
     Building upon President Clinton's April 29, 1994, memorandum
concerning "Government-to-Government Relations with Native
American Tribal Governments," the Attorney General reaffirmed the
Justice Department's Indian policy to support and strengthen
tribal self-government.  
     "The ability to self-manage through enhanced law enforcement
and tribal justice systems is vital to tribal sovereignty and
economic stability of Indian Nations," Reno said.  "Tribal court
systems are the judicial institutions closest to American Indian
victims, offenders and their families--both culturally and
physically.  They are essential in preserving tribal values and
tradition."
     One of the goals of the symposium was to find solutions that
lead to recognition of tribal court orders through comity and
full faith and credit.  While many tribal courts recognize and
enforce state court orders and judgments, some state courts do
not fully reciprocate.  For example, the Indian Child Welfare Act
requires state courts to recognize tribal court orders concerning
Indian children.  Many state courts fail to do so.  Some also
fail to comply with the statutory requirement that tribes be
given notice when Indian children are the subject of state court
proceedings.   Also, the Violence against Women Act requires for
full faith and credit for protective orders issued under certain
circumstances.  Yet, not all tribal governments have codes for
the issuance of civil protective orders.  This year the
Department of Justice awarded nearly $1 million to tribal
governments to develop such codes and appropriate court
procedures to handle family violence cases.
     The Honorable J. Clifford Wallace, Chief Judge, U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Michael F. Cavanagh,
Associate Justice, Michigan Supreme Court, outlined new ways to
enhance federal-state-tribal cooperation.  The Honorable C. Arlen
Beam, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Court
also attended.  Tribal judges and leaders also met with Herb
Becker, Director of the Department of Justice's new Office of
Tribal Justice, which was established in January, 1995 and five
U.S. Attorneys from northeastern districts. 
     Since the historic National American Indian Listening
Conference last year, the Department of Justice has been active
in affirming the Administration's commitment to tribal
sovereignty, working with tribal governments on a government to
government basis and litigating on behalf of American Indian
rights.
The Department of Justice's American Indian Initiative has:
    Established a formal channel of communication for tribes and
     a permanent policy coordination center to focus Department
     of Justice positions on American Indian issues through the
     creation of the Office of Tribal Justice.

    Defended Native American religious, treaty, governmental and
     civil rights.

    Granted over $9 million from police hiring grants to 128
     tribes to fund Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

    Designated:

     26 assistant U.S. Attorney positions in districts with a
     high concentration of American Indian tribes.

     7 criminal attorneys to enhance the Child Exploitation and
     Obscenity Section(CEOS) of the Criminal Division.

     27 FBI agents to augment investigations in Indian Country.

    Awarded approximately $1 million to tribal governments
     through the STOP Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary
     Grant Program, with the specific goal of strengthening the
     response to tribal court systems to violent crimes against
     women.

    Designated 45 tribal governments as Tribal Court-DOJ
     Partnership Projects.  The goal of the Tribal Court-DOJ
     Partnership Project is to strengthen tribal justice systems
     and particularly their abilities to respond to family
     violence and juvenile issues.

     The Office of Tribal Justice and the Department's Tribal
Courts Project will use the recommendations proposed today to
develop an action plan to enhance the ability of tribal courts to
address contemporary concerns such as domestic violence,
environmental degradation and economic development, while
respecting tribal values and traditions. 
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