Public Law 280

Public Law 280 is a federal law of the United States that changes legal jurisdiction on Indian lands and over Indian persons. The law transfers some jurisdiction from the federal government to states in both civil and criminal cases in certain places. It was passed in 1953. There are 574 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States, up from 562 when the law was passed. 39% of these are in Alaska; the rest in the continental US. This law covered a little more than 300 tribes when it took effect. In 1968, the law was amended so that states had to have the consent of the tribes to assume jurisdiction from federal government. Where states had already assumed jurisdiction, jurisdiction would retrocede to the federal government if the tribes requested it. Nearly 30 tribes were involved in retrocession. Also in 1968 the Indian Civil Rights Act was passed, causing funding to begin rising for tribal justice systems. Funding increased from $1.5 million in 1972 to $10 million in 1990. In 2010, the Tribal Law and Order Act was enacted with the goal of decreasing crime against indigenous women and children.