Supreme Court split 4-4 over in Native American tribal court dispute

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a child sexual molestation lawsuit against discount retailer Dollar General Corp to move forward in a Native American tribal court in Mississippi.

The justices were split 4-4, leaving intact a lower court decision that said the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ tribal court can hear a family’s civil suit accusing a male manager of a Dollar General store located on tribal land of molesting a 13-year-old boy. Dollar General, questioning the impartiality of tribal courts, argued the suit should have been filed in state court because it involved a non-tribe member. The decision sets no nationwide precedent on tribal court jurisdiction