Alaska Natives & the courts

     The Alaska Court System is highly centralized, comprising four levels of state courts which are entirely state-administered and funded. There are four judicial districts, all of which include rural areas. In rural areas of the state where full-time Superior or District Court judges are not required, magistrates preside over District Court matters and may be the sole court officer in a village court location. Magistrates are appointed by the presiding judge in their judicial district and need not be lawyers. Many magistrates are Alaska Natives.
     Alaska tribal courts operate at the village level. They have have a shorter history and less formal structures then their counterparts in other parts of the U.S. Two primary areas of Alaska tribal court activity are Indian Child Welfare Act cases and customary adoptions. Tribal courts or village councils may also hear cases about public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and minor juvenile offenses, and may impose fines, community work service, alcohol treatment, or other conditions.
     The resources collected here have been chosen for their relevance to Alaska Natives. For further information on courts in Alaska, see Courts & Judicial Processing.

See also:
Alaska Natives >

Alaska Natives in Alaska state courts

• Report of the Alaska Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Fairness and Access. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Court System, October 1997.
• "Alaska Supreme Court Report: Fairness and Access Problems and Recommendations". Alaska Justice Forum 14(3), Fall 1997.
• "Probation Revocation and Ethnicity". Alaska Justice Forum 15(3), Fall 1998.
• "Criminal Defense in Rural Alaska" by Rachel King. Alaska Justice Forum 15(1), Spring 1998.
• "Criminal Justice in the Northwest Arctic Borough": by Richard Erlich. Alaska Justice Forum 13(3), Fall 1996.

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

• Child Welfare and Alaska Native Tribal Governance: A Pilot Project in Kake, Alaska (project)
• Child Welfare and Alaska Native Tribal Governance: A Pilot Project in Kake, Alaska -- Report of Findings by Lisa Rieger and Randy Kandel. Report prepared for the National Science Foundation. Anchorage: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, October 1999.
• Alaska Division of Family and Youth Services: ICWA Information
• See also Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

Language issues in Alaska state courts

• "Interpreting and Translating in Alaska's Legal System: Further Discussion" by Phyllis Morrow. Alaska Justice Forum 17(3), Fall 2000.
• "Committees Examine Interpretation". Alaska Justice Forum 13(4), Winter 1997.
• "Legal Interpreting in Alaska" by Phyllis Morrow. Alaska Justice Forum 10(4), Winter 1994.
• "A Sociolinguistic Mismatch: Central Alaskan Yup'iks and the Legal System" by Phyllis Morrow. Alaska Justice Forum 10(2), Summer 1993.
• See also Courts & judicial process > Legal interpretation.

Tribal courts & local justice initiatives

• Central Council Tribal Court: Tribal court of the Tlingit-Haida Central Council.
• "Circle Peacemaking" by Lisa Rieger. Alaska Justice Forum 17(4), Winter 2001.
• A Directory of Dispute Resolution in Alaska Outside Federal and State Courts. Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, March 1999.
• Resolving Disputes Locally: Alternatives for Rural Alaska. Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, August 1992.
• Resolving Disputes Locally: A Statewide Report and Directory: Anchorage: Alaska Judicial Council, April 1993.
• "A Picture of Rural Justice: Alaska Judicial Council Studies" by Teresa W. Carns. Alaska Justice Forum 10(3), Fall 1993.

Justice Center audiovisual products

• "Piyunarquciiten Pinarqutliumakuvet: Your Rights When Charged with a Crime" (videotape) produced by Antonia Moras. Produced for the Alaska Court System. Anchorage: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, March 2001.15 minutes.

Justice Center projects

• Yup'ik Arraignment Video (project)