What Is Tribal Law?

We often hear the word tribal law in the news or in conversations, but many, sadly, don’t know its real meaning and often fall into the cycle of just “nodding” along. By definition, tribal law is the legal structure of each tribe, where each tribe has its own laws and government. Similar to the structure of the US government, tribes frequently have an executive (a chief), a legislature (the tribal council), and a judiciary (the tribal court). The laws developed and implemented by these branches only apply to people on the reservation and only within the territory's borders. And only federal and tribal laws have jurisdiction in these lands. These laws are typically enforced by a sheriff’s department, yet across the country, these law enforcement agencies are understaffed and underfunded, which threatens the sovereignty and safety of each tribe. Moreover, tribal law often comes to clash with federal law, which is why we often hear landmark court cases about it on the news and begs the question of whether tribes are truly sovereign or not.