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Tribal Court State Court Forum

The Tribal Court State Court Forum (TCSCF) is comprised of tribal court judges from Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized tribes and state court judges from Minnesota’s 10 judicial district courts, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court. 

The purpose of the TCSCF is to enhance tribal court and state court relationships, provide an opportunity to address issues arising from the courts’ concurrent jurisdictions, collaborate on development and delivery of judicial education and training, recommend revisions to Minnesota’s procedural rules of court, and work on issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries. 

The first TCSCF meeting was held at Prairie Island Indian Community on July 18, 1997.  Although its membership has changed over the years, the Forum has gathered quarterly for most of its existence alternating between tribal court and state court venues.

Printable in-depth history of the TCSCF

Below are some photos from the June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts. 

June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts.

June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts.

June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts.

June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts.

June 25, 2019 ceremony where four Dakota Communities gave tribal flags to Hennepin and Scott County District Courts.

January 22, 2016: hosted by state court - 4th Judicial District April 22, 2016: Meeting cancelled

July 15, 2016: hosted by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court October 21, 2016: Meeting cancelled

December 1, 2016: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting January 27, 2017: hosted by Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Court  April 28, 2017: Meeting cancelled

July 28, 2017: Meeting cancelled

October 27, 2017: Meeting rescheduled to November

November 30, 2017: hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court December 7, 2017: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting February 23, 2018: hosted by state court - 10th Judicial District June 29, 2018: hosted by Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court

October 26, 2018: hosted by state court

December 6, 2018: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting April 26, 2019: hosted by Tribal Court of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community July 26, 2019: hosted by state court - 7th Judicial District September 13, 2019: hosted by Red Lake Nation Tribal Court December 5, 2019: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting March 6, 2020: hosted by Upper Sioux Indian Community Tribal Court  July 24, 2020: hosted by state court - 6th Judicial District October 9, 2020: hosted by Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court December 2020: Meeting cancelled

March 19, 2021: hosted by state court - 5th Judicial District July 16, 2021 October 8, 2021

December 2021: Meeting cancelled

March 11, 2022

June 3, 2022: hosted by Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Court  

September 16, 2022: hosted by state court - MN Court of Appeals and MN Supreme Court 

December 8, 2022: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting

March 31, 2023: hosted by Lower Sioux Indian Community Tribal Court  

June 16, 2023: hosted by Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court 
September 22, 2023: hosted by state court 
December 2023 (exact date TBD): Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting


 

State Court, through the Children's Justice Initiative (CJI) Program, is putting on the following in-person, day-long Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) trainings for all child protection stakeholders in the area:
 
  • Duluth - Sometime in 2023 (exact date TBD); and
  • Bemidji - Sometime in 2023 (exact date TBD).
To request virtual, targeted ICWA training in your area, please contact the CJI.
    

MN ICWA Courts Summits  

Minnesota’s seven multidisciplinary ICWA court teams gathered in the fall of 2020 and 2022, along with state and national ICWA experts, with the goal of enhancing understanding and achieving full implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA) in each of Minnesota’s seven ICWA court jurisdictions and in juvenile courts across the state. Those in attendance worked to improve court and stakeholder practices to achieve better outcomes for American Indian children, families, and tribes.
 

Contact Us:

Tribal Court State Court Forum
State Court Administrator's Office
25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
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