9th Cir.;
13-16259

The court of appeals reversed a district court judgment. The court held that tribal courts had jurisdiction over employment disputes involving Arizona public schools operating on tribal lands.

Several current and former employees of two Arizona school districts filed complaints with the Navajo Nation Labor Commission alleging that the districts, both of which operated on lands leased from the Navajo Nation, had variously violated either Arizona's merit pay law or the Navajo Preference in Employment Act. The commission consolidated the complaints. The districts moved to dismiss the complaints, arguing the commission lacked jurisdiction over personnel decisions made by Arizona public school districts. While that motion was pending, the districts filed suit in federal district court, seeking a declaration that the commission and the Navajo tribal courts lacked jurisdiction over the districts' employment decisions and practices. The districts sought an injunction barring further prosecution of the employees' claims in the tribal courts due to the lack of jurisdiction.