Court slated to discuss tribal transfer petition

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court is slated to discuss a petition Monday that would disallow the ability to transfer cases from state court to tribal court.

The petition is on the court’s agenda for its administrative rules conference. It has been on the past two rules conferences but was not discussed.

The measure is being proposed by a small group of members of the Oneida Nation, led by Nona Danforth. They are displeased with the way they have been treated by the tribe’s judiciary. They say that the judiciary is biased and is not qualified to rule on cases.

Danforth has said she disagreed with the court’s decisions in a child placement case involving her and her ex-boyfriend, Vicente Vega. Others said there are problems with nepotism and uninformed decision making.

The problem, though, is that the judicial system they are pushing against is in the midst of an overhaul that tribal leaders say will fix the problems.

Nevertheless, the petition has attracted the attention of tribal courts statewide. The transfer rule was passed by the court on a 4-3 vote, and they fear any dissent could sway the justices.

Also on the agenda is a petition that would disallow the use of names in certain appellate filings that are posted online.

At a previous meeting, the court was not ready to take such a step, but did approve a measure to change the state Supreme Court’s style guide to disallow the use of victims’ full names in its opinions.

The conference will begin at 9:45 a.m. Follow @eheisigWLJ