Tribal Court

Tribal Government

Tribal Court

The Redding Rancheria Tribal Court was established by the Redding Rancheria Tribal Council through adoption of the Redding Rancheria Judiciary Code on November 29, 2005. The Tribal Court convened its first hearing in May, 2006.

The Tribal Court is a court of limited jurisdiction hearing cases only in matters where the Tribal Council has specifically delegated jurisdiction to its Court. The Tribal Court’s jurisdiction includes child welfare, tribal employment matters, marriage and marriage dissolution, on-reservation torts and contracts, and workers’ compensation. The Tribal Council has prioritized the expansion of the Tribal Court’s jurisdiction by enacting several new ordinances and new regulatory responsibilities for the Tribal Court. The Tribal Council has also established an appellate court that hears any appeals from final judgements of the Tribal Court.

Judge Richard C. Blake is the Chief Judge of the Redding Rancheria Tribal Court and has proudly held this title since 2010. Judge Blake is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and has extensive experience as a tribal court judge currently serving as Chief Judge for the Redding Rancheria, Judge of the Tolowa Dee-ni Nation Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court, and Chief Judge of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Judge Blake is the founder of the Northern California Tribal Court Coalition and is Co-Chair of the California Tribal State Forum and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Tribal-State Forum.

The Tribal Court has conducted over 600 hearings with an ever increasing child welfare, employment, and contracts caseload. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribal Court conducts hearings through video conferencing and will continue to do so until it is safe to convene in-person hearings.

In 2015, California enacted the Tribal Court Civil Money Judgements Act. That Act created a process for plaintiffs in tribal courts to enforce tribal court civil money judgements in the Courts of the State of California. The Tribal Court had its first money judgment recognized and enforced under this process by the California Superior Court for Stanislaus County in January.

Chief Judge Richard Blake

Molly Redmon Tribal Court Clerk Michael Hollowell Tribal Court Administrator