Court: Indian adoption case belongs in state court

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered that adoption proceedings for an Indian child whose parents’ rights were terminated should take place in state courts, not tribal courts.

That reverses two earlier orders that gave the White Earth Band of Ojibwe permission to handle the child’s adoption in its court.

The Star Tribune reports that the Supreme Court’s decision was 4-2. It found that tribal authority is limited to foster care placement and termination of parental rights, and doesn’t extend to adoptive placement.

The child in question is an enrolled band member but neither parent lived on the White Earth reservation.