Judge weighs if tribal officials must comply to subpoenas

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - A federal court judge in Great Falls is considering legal arguments over whether tribal officials need to comply with subpoenas demanding access to tribal government documents, or if tribes are immune from court orders to produce evidence because they are sovereign nations.

The dispute comes from a $5 million lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs over alleged damages, the Great Falls Tribune reported (http://gftrib.com/1KCNZVX). Terryl Matt, a Cut Bank attorney and enrolled member of the Assiniboine Tribe of Montana, is suing the bureau for damage that occurred when the bureau built a new road across his property. The road project came after widespread flooding on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in June 2011.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/24/judge-weighs-if-tribal-officials-must-comply-to-su/