An important aspect in protecting Redding Rancheria’s position as a sovereign government is the provision of its own Tribal Court. Established with the assistance of a BIA grant, the Redding Rancheria Tribal Court convened in 2006.
The Tribal Council has delegated jurisdiction to the Tribal Court in several areas including children’s court, Tribal employment matters, marriage and marriage dissolution, on-reservation torts and contracts, and workers’ compensation.
Judge Richard C. Blake is the Chief Judge of the Redding Rancheria Tribal Court, a position he has held since 2010. Judge Blake is the current President of the National American Indian Court Judges Association, and has been an executive board member since 2003.
Since inception, the Tribal Court has conducted over 400 hearings with an increasing child welfare and contracts caseload. One recent milestone for the Tribal Court was the issuance of its first marriage license under the authority of the Redding Rancheria’s Domestic Relations Ordinance.