https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/ en https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/supporting-native-american-communities-our-court-systems Supporting Native American Communities in Our Court SystemsKaren.Datangel Thu, 11/13/2025 - 09:09 Feature *This feature was originally published on November 16, 2023 and has been updated. What began with a simple request by one tribal court judge for a meeting with the state’s Chief Justice has taken us to where we are today in California, the coming together of tribal court and state court leaders as equal partners to address areas of mutual concern. Formed in 2010, the Tribal Court-State Court Forum improves the working relationship between California’s tribal and state courts and makes recommendations on matters where tribal and state courts overlap. The forum, made up of judges and members of both the tribal and state court communities, provides direction in areas such as: Jurisdictional issues Enforcement and recognition of protective orders and judgments Access to justice in Indian country in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and teen-dating violence The forum also gathers data and develops resources relevant to Native American communities and tribal justice systems. In addition, the forum supports rules and legislation relating to child support, guardianship, civil money judgments, and other areas. Joint-Jurisdiction CourtIn California, tribal and state courts share concurrent jurisdiction over many case types. Rather than choosing between either state or tribal court jurisdiction, cases can be heard in a joint-jurisdiction court. In this setting, the tribal court judge and the state (or federal) court judge come together to simultaneously exercise their respective jurisdiction. Sharing and coordinating jurisdiction allows the leveraging of resources from each jurisdiction to improve outcomes. For example, the Humboldt Superior Court and Yurok Tribal Court formed a Family Wellness Court to help parents end their substance use and ultimately reunite them with their children. Judges from both courts jointly oversee cases and work closely with families and wellness teams consisting of tribal mentors, family members, mental health specialists, and county social workers to design tailored wellness plans with clear objectives. “What we are engaged in is nothing short of redesigning a new and better way of doing things when it comes to our families who are struggling with substance abuse and have children in the child welfare system,” said Judge Joyce Hinrichs (Ret.) of the Humboldt Superior Court, who presided over the Family Wellness Court with Yurok Tribal Court Chief Judge Abby Abinanti. Joint-jurisdiction courts operate in El Dorado, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties.  Judicial Council Offers Resources on Native American IssuesWith federal and state funding, the Judicial Council of California maintains a Tribal/State Programs unit that provides legal services and technical assistance to local courts on inter-jurisdictional issues across all case types and assists with the development of policies, positions, and programs to ensure the highest quality of justice and service for California’s Native American communities.  The council’s tribal/state program also develops resources to assist those involved in Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) proceedings understand their legal obligations under ICWA and comply with those requirements. Read more about Tribal Communities in California.  This November, California Courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state. Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition. California has 32 tribal courts, serving approximately 50 tribes. The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems. Featured Photo: Redding Rancheria Tribal Court https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/honoring-californias-native-american-judges-judge-deborah-sanchez Honoring California’s Native American Judges: Judge Deborah SanchezKaren.Datangel Thu, 11/30/2023 - 16:54 Feature Deborah Sanchez is the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Inc. (SGF) Board Secretary/Treasurer and has committed her life to the sacred work of cultural and language revitalization, as well as women's leadership in local, national, and global arenas. (Credit / source: photo by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, artistry / graphic work by Eli Bargas)     [Feature 1] [Feature 2] [Feature 3] [Feature 4] A judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2007, the Honorable Deborah L. Sanchez is Chumash, O’odham, and Raramúri American Indian, whose peoples have origins in central coastal California, Arizona, and Northern Mexico, respectively.   Judge Sanchez has received several awards for her work in the Native American community. She volunteered with the Southern California Indian Center, handling a variety of issues from cases involving the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to landlord-tenant relations. She has been teaching a Chumash tribal language called Šmuwič to her community since 2010, even composing songs from the language. She has taught an American Indian Studies course at California State University, Long Beach for ten years and serves on nonprofit boards involving indigenous peoples. Several years ago, Judge Sanchez spoke about her Chumash background and the Šmuwič language in an emotional video for CSU Long Beach. She said, “It’s important for me to speak the language because it expands the culture, our point of view, and our ways of looking at things...I think that it’s transformative in the sense that our people can understand that we don’t have to fit in to these ways of being and looking at the world that are not ours.”  In the years since this video was filmed, Šmuwič language programs have expanded with additional beginner classes taught by Judge Sanchez's former students, an advanced class taught by Judge Sanchez, and more conversational elements. There are now language reclamation and revitalization programs for some of the other Chumash languages. Judge Sanchez is currently in a Master's program for Linguistics, which she began in Fall 2021. This November, California courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state.   Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition.    California has 27 tribal courts, serving approximately 40 tribes.   The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems.  https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/bringing-awareness-violence-tribal-communities Bringing Awareness to Violence in Tribal CommunitiesKaren.Datangel Tue, 11/21/2023 - 10:41 Feature Research has found that Native Americans experience a per capita rate of violence twice that of the U.S. resident population, and that female Native Americans are murdered at ten times the national average. In addition, murder is the third leading cause of death for female Native Americans and more than one in three Native American women are likely to be raped in their lifetimes. Educating Courts About Cases Involving Native Americans In a podcast for judges entitled "Murdered and Missing Indigenous People: What the State Court System Needs to Know," host Lee Romney speaks with judicial and law enforcement leaders in the Yurok Tribe and Humboldt County to explore the root causes of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) phenomenon, why many cases go unsolved, and possible solutions for the community. The podcast cites a report from the Sovereign Bodies Institute and Yurok Tribal Court, where researchers discovered 183 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people (individuals in Native American cultures who fulfill a traditional third-gender or other gender-variant role) in California, dating back to the year 1900. Nearly 60% of these cases were from Northern California, and only about half resulted in charges or conviction due to inconclusive investigations, misclassification of cases, and unreported cases. The report poses an important question: What can state courts do if many of these cases don't result in criminal charges? Romney says, "They should view the MMIP phenomenon more holistically and reassess how they respond to cases involving domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault, survival sex work, juvenile runaways, substance use and child removal cases. That means learning whether defendants or victims are Native American and whether they are enrolled members of a California tribe." Judicial Council Shares Resources and Research; Advisory Body to Help Implement Legislation on Tribal Public Safety The Judicial Council’s Tribal Court-State Court Forum has historically focused on issues related to domestic violence, victimization, trafficking, and exploitation in tribal communities. The forum has conducted research, created resources, and supported projects on these topics, including the Domestic Abuse Self-Help Tribal Project, which the council established to help litigants obtain restraining orders in tribal and state courts.  As part of the California judicial branch’s goal to promote inclusion and serve the state’s diverse population, the forum is also helping to implement AB 3099, authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland), which calls for the California Department of Justice to provide training and guidance to law enforcement agencies and tribal governments to help reduce uncertainty regarding criminal jurisdiction and improve public safety on tribal lands. The effort also includes funds to study challenges related to the reporting and identification of MMIP in California, particularly women and girls.  In addition, the council’s Tribal/State Programs Unit curates resources related to cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, trafficking, elder abuse, and stalking in Native American communities, shedding light on such issues.  This November, California courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state.   Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition.   California has 27 tribal courts, serving approximately 40 tribes.   The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems.  https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/honoring-californias-native-american-judges-judge-abby-abinanti Honoring California’s Native American Judges: Judge Abby AbinantiKaren.Datangel Mon, 11/20/2023 - 13:26 Feature [Feature 1] [Feature 2] [Feature 3] [Feature 4] Currently serving as Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribal Court, Abby Abinanti was the first Native American woman to be admitted to the State Bar of California and is the first Native American woman to serve as a judicial officer in the state of California. Judge Abinanti has served as a judge in the tribal court since 1997 and has held the title of Chief Judge since 2007. Additionally, she has served as a commissioner for the San Francisco Superior Court. Chief Judge Abinanti also serves as co-chair of the Tribal Court-State Forum, which makes recommendations to the Judicial Council for improving proceedings where jurisdiction by the state courts and tribal justice systems overlaps. In 2019, along with Humboldt County Presiding Judge Joyce Hinrichs, Chief Judge Abinanti presided over a Family Wellness Court to help parents end their substance use with the goal of reuniting them with their children. As a tribal judge, Judge Abinanti is incorporating traditional culture into her courtrooms with a focus on rehabilitation. She was featured in the 2017 documentary Tribal Justice, which followed her and another tribal judge, Judge Claudette White of the Quechan Tribe, as they created these justice systems for their communities. She was also recently featured in Gutsy, a documentary by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. In a 2019 interview with Capitol Weekly, Judge Abinanti spoke about her work in the judicial field and why it’s important for her to build tribal justice systems. “I never intended to be a lawyer and then I became a lawyer, and I thought maybe this is why — because now I have the skill set that nobody else has that I can bring home, and we need to do some things to get ourselves ready and to move forward and I have the skill set and so to me that is my responsibility, to use that skill set and to complete this work the best I can,” she said. Read Judge Abinanti's recent op-ed in The Orange County Register about violence and justice in Native American communities. This November, California courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state.   Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition.    California has 27 tribal courts, serving approximately 40 tribes.   The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems.  https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/honoring-californias-native-american-judges-judge-sunshine-sykes Honoring California’s Native American Judges: Judge Sunshine SykesKaren.Datangel Tue, 11/14/2023 - 12:00 Feature [Feature 1]  [Feature 2] [Feature 3] [Feature 4] People of Native American descent have held leading roles in our state courts, as well as tribal courts within California. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting a few of these trailblazing Native American judges who have impacted our California judicial system.  In 2013, Sunshine S. Sykes became the first judge of Native American descent appointed to the Riverside Superior Court, and in 2022, she became California's first Native American federal judge when President Biden appointed her to the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Sykes worked in Riverside County as a Deputy County Counsel and as a contract attorney with the Juvenile Defense Panel. She has also served as a staff attorney for California Indian Legal Services. As an attorney, much of her work focused on cases and training involving the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), as well as domestic violence issues in rural and urban Native American communities.  Judge Sykes is from the Navajo Tribe, born on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona. In an interview with the California Lawyers Association this past October, Judge Sykes spoke about her desire to become a judge and how her identity as a Native American woman tied into that goal. “Just as there was a lack of Native representation in the legal community generally, there was no Native representation in the judiciary in my community despite the large number of Native American tribes and people,” she said. “If I could be in a position to change that, I wanted to at least attempt to do so. So, going into the state court, and now the federal court, is an extension of my career in public service, but also an extension of my dream as a young girl and my desire to see people in these roles that reflected who I was and where I came from.”  This November, California courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state. Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition. California has 27 tribal courts, serving approximately 40 tribes. The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems.  https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/honoring-californias-native-american-judges Honoring California’s Native American JudgesKaren.Datangel Thu, 11/09/2023 - 09:59 Feature [Feature 1]  [Feature 2] [Feature 3] [Feature 4] This November, California courts and the Judicial Council of California join the nation in recognizing National Native American Heritage Month. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, California is home to more people of American Indian/Alaska Native heritage than any other state. Currently 109 federally recognized Indian tribes in California and several non-federally recognized tribes petitioned for federal recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Recognition. California has 27 tribal courts, serving approximately 40 tribes. The Judicial Council provides staff to the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, as well as education and technical assistance on the Indian Child Welfare Act, violence prevention, and tribal justice systems. People of Native American descent have and have had leading roles in our state courts, as well as tribal courts within California. This month, we are recognizing a few current and past Native American judges in California who have impacted our judicial system.    After 25 years of service on the bench, Judge Gilbert Lopez retired in 2020 from the Los Angeles Superior Court. In his 1998 State of the Judiciary address, Chief Justice Ronald George acknowledged Judge Lopez: “His can-do spirit and concrete contributions provide a tangible symbol of the willingness of judicial officers and staff to take that extra step far beyond their job descriptions to make sure that the system can function, and the public can be properly served.” The praise was in reference to a time when LA’s Huntington Park Court lacked funding for the makeshift courtroom renovated for Judge Lopez. Judge Lopez resolved the issue himself by using his home workshop to construct his own jury box, bench, and bailiff’s desk.  Judge Lopez co-founded the Anahuacalmecac Teen Court, and served as its presiding judge for five years. Today, Judge Lopez is keeping busy in retirement, continuing his lifelong passion of making drums, a skill he says runs in his family.     “My grandmother was born on the San Felipe Reservation in New Mexico, and I follow the tradition,” he explains. He’s made close to 800 drums in his lifetime, all fashioned by hand using indigenous natural materials -- and he donates them for the purpose of recovery and healing.   “I don’t charge for my drums; I only ask people not sell them,” says Judge Lopez. “I owe it to the community to give back and this is the way I give back…and I’ll continue doing it until I can’t do it anymore.”