US Supreme Court to Decide Whether Tribal Convictions Count

The U.S. Supreme Court says it will decide whether a person with multiple domestic violence convictions in tribal court should be subject to harsher punishments for habitual offenders.

The appeal stems from a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from a Montana case that was contrary to separate circuit court decisions on cases in North Dakota and Utah. The 9th Circuit threw out Northern Cheyenne Tribal Court convictions against Michael Bryant Jr. because Bryant did not have a lawyer. The judges said the lack of legal counsel violated the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-supreme-court-decide-tribal-convictions-count-35783281