Over 100 tribes in Alaska operate their own court systems

Over 100 tribes are operating their own court systems, Lisa Jaeger of the Tanana Chiefs Conference said at a forum on March 27.

Tribes are handling child welfare cases, domestic violence crimes and other matters, Jaeger said. Their court systems represent nearly half of the 229-federally recognized tribes in the state.

“Tribal courts, especially in small, rural communities are really the first level of justice that are available to local communities,” Jaeger said at the forum, KTUU reported....