The National Indian Law Library (NILL) has assembled the largest print and electronic collection of tribal codes and constitutions of the sovereign tribes and Alaska Native villages in the United States. This Tribal Law Gateway has been designed to help the researcher access the hundreds of copies of codes and constitutions held by the library as well as other tribal law documents in the library collection and found elsewhere.

• Tribal codes, resolutions, ordinances

• Tribal constitutions

• Online collection -- tribal codes, resolutions, constitutions  |   Search

• Most recent tribal laws:  Tribal Code & Constitution Directory -- the A-Z List

• Tribal law drafting

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• Tribal compacts (intergovernmental or cooperative agreements) by tribe or subject

• Tribal court opinions (compilations of)  | Tribal court rules.

• Treaties

• "Basic Indian Law Research Tips: Part II: Tribal Law". August, 2007 update to an article originally written in The Colorado Lawyer in 2005

• Tribal Legal Histories

For Tribes:

A major goal of the National Indian Law Library (NILL) is to provide access to as many tribal governance documents as possible for tribal members, attorneys, business entities and the general public. We believe that free and open access for all promotes an understanding of tribes as sovereign governmental political entities, communicates the current state of the law, and assists with the ongoing development of tribal law. Please help the library to continue this important work and join the more than 220 tribes who are already participating in this project. Contact David Selden, Law Librarian, to participate by providing current print copies of your code/ordinances and/or constitution, and permission to post the information on the NILL web site. For more information, we have developed a web page about our print and digital collection program.

Thank you for your assistance!

Directories: A-Z list: tribal web sites & laws Tribal governments, courts

New: • Search engine for tribal laws online • Climate Change Resolutions - Alaska • Updated: Tribal Law Research Guide • A Guide for Tribal Court Law Clerks, U. of Colo. Law School

• Constitution drafting: Tribal Constitution Handbook: A Guide to Writing and Revising Tribal Constitutions, by NARF Attorney Mark C. Tilden. Expected date of publication: Spring 2008.

• Tribal legal assistance: The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) may be able to provide tribal law drafting assistance.

• For librarians: Tribal Law Cooperative