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. 

Tribal Court Forum Members 
 
State Court Forum Members

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

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

April 22, 2016: Meeting cancelled

July 15, 2016: hosted by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

October 21, 2016: Meeting cancelled

December 1, 2016: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary

January 27, 2017: hosted by Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Court 

• Agenda

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

• Agenda
• Discussion Topics
• Meeting Summary

December 7, 2017: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting

• Agenda
• Summary of Discussion Topics
• Meeting Summary

February 23, 2018: hosted by state court - 10th Judicial District

• Agenda
• Survey Results for 2018-2019 Focus Areas

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

• Meeting Summary

April 26, 2019: hosted by Tribal Court of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

July 26, 2019: hosted by state court - 7th Judicial District

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

September 13, 2019: hosted by Red Lake Nation Tribal Court

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

December 5, 2019: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

March 6, 2020: hosted by Upper Sioux Indian Community Tribal Court 

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

July 24, 2020: hosted by state court - 6th Judicial District

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

October 9, 2020: hosted by Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

December 2020: Meeting cancelled

March 19, 2021: hosted by state court - 5th Judicial District

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

July 16, 2021

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary

October 8, 2021

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary

December 2021: Meeting cancelled

March 11, 2022

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary 

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

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary 

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

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary 

December 8, 2022: Annual Judges Conference breakfast meeting

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary 

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

• Agenda 
• Meeting Summary 

June 16, 2023: hosted by Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Court

• Agenda  

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.
 

• White Earth Nation
• Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
• Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
• Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
• Prairie Island Indian Community
• Lower Sioux Indian Community
• Upper Sioux Community
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. § 1901, et seq.
• U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), links to manuals, handbooks, and memoranda
• Minnesota Rules of Juvenile Protection Procedure
• Minnesota Rules of Adoption Procedure
• Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, Minn. Stat. 260.751 to 260.835
• Minnesota State Tribal Agreement, February 2007
• Indian Children Welfare Manual, Minnesota Department of Human Services
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courts: A Tool for Improving Outcomes for American Indian Children and Families, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)

Contact Us:

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