Kenaitze Indian Tribe - Tribal Code

Table of Contents Updated: March 2019

The tribe makes their code available online. The link below will take you to the version of the code available on the tribe's website.

Tribal Court Codes (Tribal Court Code and Domestic Relations Code) (pdf)
Judicial Code of Conduct (pdf)

Table of Contents

TRIBAL COURT CODE
Chapter 1 Kenaitze Tribal Court Structure
Section 1. Name of the Code
Section 2. Name of the Court
Section 3. Purpose
A. History
B. Modern Purpose
Section 4. Authority
Section 5. Jurisdiction
Section 6. Court Structure
A. Chief Judge
Section 7. Judges
A. Qualifications
B. Selection of Judges
C. Terms
D. Judicial Disciplinary Proceedings
E. Filling Judicial Vacancies
F. Judicial Ethics
Section 8. Elders and Other Advisors
Section 9. Legal and Professional Consultation
Section 10. Appeals
A. Starting an Appeal
B. Appointing an Appellate Court Panel
C. Hearing on Petition, Frivolous Appeals
D. Role of the Appellate Court
E. Decision of the Appellate Court
F. Confidentiality
G. Code of Conduct
Section 11. Other Court Personnel
A. Court Administrator
B. Court Clerk
Section 12. Oath of Confidentiality
Section 13. Oath of Office
Section 14. Full Faith & Credit and Comity
Section 15. Supreme Law: The Dena'ina Principles of Regulation
Section 16. Amendments
Chapter 2 Kenaitze Court Procedures
Section 1. Purpose
Section 2. Definitions
Section 3. Rights of Parties
Section 4. Confidentiality
Section 5. Recording Hearings
Section 6. Failure to Appear for a Hearing
Section 7. Recesses During Hearings
Section 8. Testimony and Associated Costs
Section 9. Evidence and Affidavits
Section 10. Emergency Hearings
Section 11. Search Warrants
A. Application for Search Warrants
B. Issuing a Search Warrant
Section 12. Juveniles
A. Application of tribal Laws to juveniles
B. Parents or guardians attending hearings
C. Sealing of juvenile court records
Section 13. Tribal Court Finances
A. Accounting
B. Fees
C. Payment of fees or fines
Section 14. Beginning a Tribal Court Case
A. Decision not to take a case
B. Referral to the Tribal Traditional Conflict Resolution Program
Section 15. Notice
A. Notice for hearings
B. Notice when hearings are rescheduled
C. Notice for emergency hearings
D. Notice for witnesses
Section 16. Procedures for Panel of Judges Style Hearing
A. Opening a hearing
B. Hearing process
Section 17. Procedures for transferring cases to the Tribe's Traditional Conflict Resolution Program
A. Referral
B. Decisions of the TCRP
Section 18. Options for Orders and Sentences
A. Fines
B. Community service
C. Banishment
D. Drug and alcohol treatment and other counseling
E. Counseling by Judges and Elders
F. Restitution
G. Traditional activities
Section 19. Written Orders and Timeframe for Complying
A. Written Orders
B. Timeframe for complying with Orders
Section 20. Request to Change Order
Section 21. Proof of Compliance with Orders
Section 22. Contempt of Court
A. Reasons persons may be found in Contempt of Court
B. Judges
C. Confiscating personal property
Section 23. Elders and Other Traditional Advisors
Section 24. Attorneys and Other Counsel

DOMESTIC RELATIONS CODE
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Section 1. History and Purpose
Section 2. Authority and Jurisdiction
A. Jurisdiction over Children's Matters
Section 3. Applicability
Section 4. Best Interest of the Child
Section 5. Guardian ad litems and CASAs
Section 6. Child Placement Preferences
Section 7. Family Receiving Home
Section 8. Definitions
Chapter 2 Child Protection for Children in Need of Aid
Section 1. Tribal Definition of ‘Child in Need of Aid’
Section 2. Confidentiality of Child Protection Cases
Section 3. Duty to Report Child Abuse and Neglect
Section 4. Immunity for Reporting and Confidentiality
Section 5. Tribal Court Records of Child Protection Cases
Section 6. Legal Custody and Status as Ward of Court in CINA Cases
Section 7. Urgency
Section 8. Rights and Best Interest of the Child
Section 9. Filing a Petition in a Child Protection Case
Section 10. Contents of Child Protection Petition
Section 11. Emergency Custody
A. Use of Tribal Funds in Emergency Circumstances
Section 12. Temporary Custody Hearing after Emergency Custody Has Been Taken
A. Notification and Hearing within 30 days
B. Failure to Appear in Court
C. Witnesses
D. Advisors/Attorneys
E. Decision of the Court
Section 13. Temporary Custody Hearing in Non-Emergency Situations
Section 14. Temporary Custody Orders
A. Orders
B. Short Versions of Orders
C. Extension of Temporary Custody Orders
Section 15. Review Hearing
A. Review Hearing
B. Request for Review Hearings by Parties
C. Purpose of Review Hearings
D. Procedure for Review Hearings
Section 16. Interference with a Custody Order
Chapter 3 Voluntary Relinquishment and Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
Section 1. Cases Where Parental Rights May be Terminated
Section 2. Findings Necessary for Termination of Parental Rights
Section 3. Procedure for Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
A. Petition
B. Notice of Petition
C. Hearing
D. Decision of the Court
Section 4. Procedure for Voluntary Relinquishment of Parental Rights
A. Requirements for a Valid Consent
B. Parental Rights in Voluntarily Relinquishment Proceedings
Section 5. Effect of Relinquishment or Termination of Parental Rights
A. In General
B. Inheritance
C. Extended Family
D. Tribal Membership Status
E. Waiver of Notice of Adoption Hearing
Chapter 4 Tribal Adoptions
Section 1. Beginning a Case
A. Non-Tribal Member Petitions
Section 2. Contents of Adoption Petition
Section 3. Homestudy
Section 4. Adoption Hearing
A. Notice
B. Hearing
C. Failure to Appear
D. Witnesses
E. Advisors/Attorneys
Section 5. Adoption Order
Section 6. Effect of Adoption Order
A. Parent/Child Relationship
B. Right to Inheritance
C. Tribal Membership Status
D. Visitation
Section 7. Cultural Adoptions
Chapter 5 Child Custody Involving Disputes Between Parents and/or Custodians
Section 1. Beginning a Child Custody Case
Section 2. Contents of Child Custody Petition
Section 3. Temporary Custody Hearing and Order
A. Temporary Custody Hearing
B. Temporary Custody Order
C. Equal Access When not Harmful to Child
D. Information Gathering
Section 4. Custody Hearing
A. Custody Hearing Within 30 Days
B. Purpose of the Custody Hearing
C. Witnesses
D. Advisors/Attorneys
E. Deciding Custody and Visitation
Section 5. Custody Order
A. Court Orders
B. Child Support Orders
C. Other Orders
Section 6. Change of Custody Order
Chapter 6 Domestic Violence
Section 1. Definitions
Section 2. Cooperative Enforcement of Protective Orders
Section 3. Beginning a Case
Section 4. Contents of the Petition to Use the Tribal Court
Section 5. Emergency Hearings for Temporary Protective Orders
A. Hearing without Notice to Respondent
B. Service of Temporary Orders
C. Duration of Temporary Orders
D. Request for Long Term Protective Order
Section 6. Hearing for Long Term Protective Orders
A. When the Court May Hold a Long Term Protective Order Hearing
B. Notice
C. Court Decision
D. Service of Long Term Protective Orders
E. Extension of Long Term Protective Orders
Section 7. Contents of Protective Orders
Section 8. Dissolving or Modifying Temporary or Long Term Protective Orders
Section 9. Violation of a Protective Order
Section 10. Rights of Victims of Domestic Violence
Section 11. Domestic Violence Cases Generally Open to the Public/Exceptions
Chapter 7 Marriages
Section 1. Definition
Section 2. Tribal Policy
Section 3. Procedure for Tribal Marriages
Chapter 8 Divorces and Annulments
Section 1. Divorces
Section 2. Annulments
Chapter 9 Name Changes
Section 1. Order of Name Change
Chapter 10 Protection for the Elders and Vulnerable Adults of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe
Section 1. Policy, Purpose and Enforcement
A. Policy
B. Purpose
C. Enforcement
Section 2. Application of this Chapter
Section 3. Definitions
Section 4. Duty to Report Abuse of an Elder
Section 5. Immunity for Reporting and Confidentiality
Section 6. Failure to Report, Bad Faith Reports, and Penalty for Retaliation
A. Failure to Report
B. False Reports
C. Retaliation
Section 7. Procedures for Reporting, Investigation, Petition, Notice, and Hearing
A. Reporting
B. Investigation
C. Petition and Hearing
Section 8. Elder Protective Services and Placements
A. Voluntary Placements and Protective Services
B. Involuntary Protective Placement and Services
C. Funding of Protective Placements and Services
D. Plan for Delivery of Services to Elders
Section 9. Emergencies
A. Emergency Action
B. Petition
C. Orders
D. Notice
E. Hearing
F. Forcible Entry
G. Risk of Immediate or Irreparable Harm
Section 10. Rights of Elders, Their Families and Caretakers

JUDICIAL CODE OF CONDUCT:

INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose
B. Applicability of Rules
C. Time for Compliance
D. Interpretation and Meaning
DEFINITIONS
QIZUNCH GUIDING TRIBAL JUDGES
DISCIPLINE OF JUDGES
A. Purpose
B. Establishment of a Judicial Review Board
C. Confidentiality
D. Procedure for Filling a Complaint
E. Initial Review
F. Pre-Hearing Briefing and Discovery
G. Hearings
H. Post-hearing Decision
J. Referral to Tribal Council
ANNUAL ACKNOWLEGMENT AND DISCLOSURE FORM

[Table of Contents created by NILL in March 2019, based on materials available on tribe's website.]