Tribal Court-State Court Forum

The 31-member advisory committee is comprised of 14 tribal court judicial officers, appointed by their tribal leadership, representing over half of the courts currently operating in California; the director of the California Department of Social Services' Office of Tribal Affairs; the director of the California Attorney General's Office of Native American Affairs, the tribal advisor of the California Governor; and 14 state court judicial officers, including the chairs or their designees of the California Judicial Council’s Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee, Access and Fairness Advisory Committee, Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee, Criminal Law Advisory Committee, Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee, and Traffic Advisory Committee, representatives of the local courts in counties where many of the tribal courts are situated, and a retired judge. The committee reports to the Executive and Planning Committee of the Judicial Council. The California Chief Justice appoints the state court judicial officers and non-judicial members. The current membership term runs until September 16, 2024.

Download the Committee Roster

• Hon. Abby Abinanti, Co-chair (Yurok) Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribal Court
• Hon. Joyce D. Hinrichs, Co-Chair Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt
• Hon. Maria Lucy Armendariz, Judge of the Superior Court of California,
  County of Los Angeles
• Hon. Yvette Ayala Henderson, Chief Judge of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Tribal Court
• Hon. Richard C. Blake, (Hoopa) Chief Judge of Redding Rancheria and Hoopa Valley Tribal Courts
• Laila DeRouen, Director, Office of Tribal Affairs, California Department of Social Services
• Hon. Leonard P. Edwards (Ret.), Volunteer Mentor Judge, Center for Families, Children & the Courts, Judicial Council of California
• Hon. Ana L. España, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego
• Michele Fahley, Chief Judge of the Pala Band of Mission Indian Tribal Court
• Hon. Devin Flesher, Judge of the Karuk Tribal Court
• Mr. Christopher Haug, Research Attorney, Superior Court of California, County of Monterey
• Hon. Winston Keh, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino
• Hon. Lawrence C. King, Chief Judge of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Tribal Court
• Hon. Patricia Lenzi, (St. Regis Mohawk) Chief Judge of the Cedarville Rancheria of Northern Paiute Indians Tribal Court
• Hon. Kristina B. Lindquist, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
• Ms. Merri Lopez-Keifer, (Luiseno) Director, Office of Native American Affairs, Office of Attorney General Rob Bonta
• Hon. Nicholas J. Mazanec, Chief Judge of the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Court
• Hon. Dorothy R. McLaughlin, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
• Hon. April Olson, Judge of the Tolowa, Dee-ni’ Nation Tribal Court
• Ms. Andrea N. Pella, Director, Prevention, Diversion & Re-Entry County of San Diego Public Safety Group
• Hon. Stephen M. Place, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Inyo
• Hon. Mark A. Ralphs, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado
• Hon. Victorio L. Shaw, (Hoopa) Chief Judge of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Court
• Ms. Christina E. Snider-Ashtari, (Pomo) Tribal Advisor of the Office of Governor, Gavin Newsom, and Executive Secretary of the Native American Heritage Commission
• Hon. Dean T. Stout, Chief Judge of the Bishop Paiute Tribal Court
• Hon. Alison M. Tucher, Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three
• Hon. Juan Ulloa, Judge of the Quechan Tribal Court
• Hon. Christine Williams, (Yurok) Chief Judge of the Wilton Rancheria Tribal Court
• Hon. Zeke Zeidler, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles

Information Technology Advisory Committee Liaison

• Vacant

Trial Court Presiding Judges and Court Executives Advisory Committees Liaison

• Hon. Stephen M. Place

Judicial Council Staff to the Committee

• Ms. Ann Gilmour, Attorney, Center for Families, Children & the Courts, Judicial Council of California
• Ms. Amanda Morris, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Families, Children & the Courts, Judicial Council of California

Background
What began with a simple request by one tribal court judge for a meeting with the Chief Justice of the State of California 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. The first, historic meeting was held in December 2009 (see news release) and led to the establishment of the Tribal Court-State Court Forum (forum) in May 2010. In October 2013, the California Judicial Council adopted rule 10.60 of the California Rules of Court establishing the forum as a formal advisory committee. In adopting this rule, the Judicial Council added a Comment acknowledging that tribes are sovereign and citing statutory and case law recognizing tribes as distinct, independent political nations that retain inherent authority to establish their own form of government, including tribal justice systems.

Charge
The forum makes recommendations to the council for improving the administration of justice in all proceedings in which the authority to exercise jurisdiction by the state judicial branch and the tribal justice systems overlaps.

In addition to the duties described in rule 10.34, the forum:

1. Identifies issues of mutual importance to tribal and state justice systems, including those concerning the working relationship between tribal and state courts in California;
2. Makes recommendations relating to the recognition and enforcement of court orders that cross jurisdictional lines, the determination of jurisdiction for cases that might appear in either court system, and the sharing of services between jurisdictions;
3. Identifies, develops, and shares with tribal and state courts local rules of court, protocols, standing orders, and other agreements that promote tribal court–state court coordination and cooperation, the use of concurrent jurisdiction, and the transfer of cases between jurisdictions;
4. Recommends appropriate activities needed to support local tribal court–state court collaborations; and
5. Makes proposals to the Governing Committee of the Center for Judicial Education and Research on educational publications and programming for judges and judicial support staff.