United States Ninth Circuit

In an action to enjoin proceedings in an Indian tribal court, the dismissal of the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is affirmed, where federal courts generally decline to entertain challenges to a tribal court's jurisdiction until the tribal court has had a full opportunity to rule on its own jurisdiction.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/22/2008
• Decided 05/14/2009
• Published 05/14/2009

Judges

• GRABER, Circuit Judge:, Before: SIDNEY R. THOMAS and SUSAN P. GRABER, Circuit Judges, and STEPHEN G. LARSON, District Judge.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Cari M. McConeghy-Harris, Law Offices of David Michael Cantor, P.C., Tempe, AZ, for the plaintiff-appellant., Joe B. Sparks, The Sparks Law Firm, P.C., Scottsdale, AZ, for the amicus curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert C. Brauchi, Tucson, AZ, and Alexander B. Ritchie, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Whiteriver, AZ, Howard M. Shanker and Laura Berglan, The Shanker Law Firm, PLC, Flagstaff, AZ, for the defendants-appellees.