Featured Podcast
Tribal Courts and Families: Three Judges Discuss Native American Sovereignty and the Indian Child Welfare Act
Michael Petoskey, chief judge of the Pokagan Band Tribal Court, joined Theresa Pouley, chief judge of the Tulalip Tribal Court in Washington state, and William A. Thorne Jr., a Pomo/Coast Miwok Indian appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals, to discuss misconceptions about the Indian Child Welfare Act and the advantages of transferring child welfare cases from state to tribal jurisdiction. Click here to listen to the podcast, produced by a collaboration between the Center for Court Innovation and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Newly-adopted Chapter of Court Rules
Court Rules for Civil Infractions
Tribal Court
58620 Sink Rd., P.O. Box 355, Dowagiac, MI 49047
(269)783-0505 Fax: (269)783-0519
Regular Business Hours
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday, except tribal holidays
The Court is currently only staffed by the Court Administrator, Clerk of the Courts and Court Clerk. Because of demands of hearings, meetings, training needs, and other scheduled conflicts, please call ahead to make sure Court staff is available to meet your needs.
Schedule of Court Fees:
Schedule of Court Fees
Requirements for Practicing Before Tribal Court : The Tribal Court allows attorneys, who are admitted to practice in any state and who are in good standing, to practice before the Tribal Court. Each applicant for admission must complete an Application for Admission to Practice, Oath of Admission and must be duly admitted to practice. Admission to practice befire the Tribal Court is deemed admission to practice before the Appellate Court.
Court Holidays
The Court will be closed on the following holidays in 2011:
Monday, January 3 – New Year’s Day
Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Friday, April 22 - Good Friday
Monday, May 30– Memorial Day
Monday, July 4 – Independence Day
Monday, September 5 – Labor Day
Wednesday, September 21 - Reaffirmation Day
Friday, November 11 - Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 25- day after Thanksgiving
Friday, December 23 – Christmas Eve
Monday, December 26 – Christmas Day
Friday, December 30 - New Year’s Eve
Monday, January 2, 2012 – New Year’s Day