State of the band — Judiciary chief justice rhonda sam
Chief Justice Rhonda Sam delivers the State of the Judiciary report at the State of the Band Address January 13, 2026.
Aaniin and Boozhoo! Honorable Chief Executive and Speaker of the Band Assembly, respected District Representatives, my fellow Mille Lacs Band members, employees and guests. Welcome to the 2026 State of the Band Address. It is my duty to provide you with the State of the Judiciary.
As the Chief Justice, I am tasked with exercising the judicial and administrative powers of the Judicial Branch. I also serve as District I Appellate Justice of the Court of Appeals. The Honorable Brenda Moose and Bernida Humetewa also serve as Appellate Justices for District II and Ill. If you are in the audience please stand and be recognized. Migwech! As the Appellate Justices, we hear all cases appealed from the District Court as well as Election Disputes and Unlawful Detainer cases as prescribed by Mille Lacs Band Statutes.
At the District Court level, I would like to ask David Christensen to please stand to be recognized. As the District Court Judge, he is tasked to hear all cases involving civil, domestic violence or harassment cases, probate, and natural resource matters. However, the overwhelming primary cases include family matters such as Child Welfare, Truancy, Guardianship of Adults or Minors, Custody, Dissolution of Marriage, Child Support and Paternity to name a few. Miigwech, Judge Christensen for your dedication and hard work.
Court and court statitics
The Judicial Branch Court of Central Jurisdiction must adapt to changing community and societal expectations concerning access to justice, technology gaps and resource constraints. Over the past several years, court administration has pursued remodeling to enable two courtrooms to operate simultaneously, improving physical access to justice. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it became necessary to create a virtual option to fill the technology gaps and maintain operations. To address resource constraints, including staffing and financial needs, court administration successfully sought grant funding for Family Healing to Wellness Court. These resource constraints on the courts affect litigation needs and demands, which ultimately impact timely justice delivery.
We have observed how resource constraints affect child welfare, adult and minor guardianship, and truancy cases, particularly with child welfare where there are significant shortages of family services social workers, behavioral health counselors and therapists and attorneys from the Solicitor General's Office or Band Member Legal Services. The courts face similar challenges. While we all work towards our respective branch goals, our ultimate aim is to support Band families in achieving health and well-being. To that end, we are currently seeking to fill the secondary Associate Judge position to assist with the district level cases.
To support this move, I will provide some statistical data.
In 2025:
• There were 1,086 cases filed
• There were 1,831 hearings held which was a 17% increase from 2024.
• There were 2,612 court orders issued which is a 18 % increase.
• And the court closed 1,209 cases which is a 19% increase over the prior year.
Many of these cases are not straightforward by any means.They are often incredibility complex in family cases, which can be multifaceted. For example, one family can have four or five different cases opened simultaneously. This complexity necessitates additional judicial resources to ensure each case receives appropriate attention and timely resolution.
Year in review
In September, Court administration has implemented Cite-Pay which is a new online service, used to pay court fines, fees and other obligations to the Mille Lacs Band Court of Central Jurisdiction. It allows users to make secure payments using their credit and debit cards, which may save on a trip to the Government Center. Instead of coming in to court administration, you may file a petition or complaint remotely by e-file and pay your court fee or court fines online using CitePay. Payments can be made online at any time from anywhere with an internet connection. This can be found on the Band's website in the Judicial Branch web page.
Court administration is working on updating the Clerk of Court Manual and a significant amount of work has already been completed, thanks to the contributions of the Court Administrator and clerks. However, the manual is not yet finalized, and the update process is ongoing.
The Justices and I are continuing to review the Title 5 Statutes and the Judicial code to identify and recommend potential enhancements or amendments changes to Band Assembly & Chief Wind. The Judiciary's intent is to complete this in 2026.
As stated earlier, over the course of the last year, the Judicial team reviewed and assessed how to improve access to justice by determining the need to fill the Associate District Court Judgeship.
Progress of family healing to wellness court
Reunification of families and the safety and well-being of children and families are main goals for the Family Healing to Wellness Court. Judge Tammy Swanson, Gilda Burr, Court Administrator, Laurie Vilas, Peacemaker, Niizhoo Woiteshek, Coordinator, and Asiniikwe Shaugobay, Case Manager led the planning team for the Family Healing to Wellness Court over the course of the last several years. However, I would like to give kudos to the multidisciplinary Wellness Team from many different areas such as Family Services, Solicitor General's Office, Tribal Police, Substance Use Department, Mental Health, Aanjibimaadizing, Band Member Legal Aid, Guardian Ad Litem and the Cultural Department. Giving special thanks to the late Joe Nayquonabe Sr. for his contributions to the Team, since its inception.
Court Administration held numerous wellness workshops last year to collaboratively solve problems, generate ideas and make decisions towards our wellness and grant goals. One area of improvement was to strengthen the cultural connections within the wellness phase requirement. This is improving the participants bonds with their children, families and their cultural ties.
Over the course of the last year, the team also met numerous times with the program Evaluator, who will be submitting an overall report within days.
In mid-October, visitors from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians viewed our Family Healing to Wellness Court to gain knowledge of our program, in hopes of developing their own Wellness court.
In early November, the team met with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute and Paul Carey a Forensic Toxicology Consultant from All Rise. All Rise is the leading training, advocacy organization for justice innovation which addresses substance use and mental health. The team gained a better understanding of Drug Testing methodologies, advantages and disadvantages, different detection windows and the monitoring requirements for Wellness and Drug Courts throughout the nation.
The Family Healing to Wellness Court has had numerous graduates. An earlier graduate in 2025 shared a powerful message about real closure and a fresh start. This individual is now paying it forward in a meaningful way as a Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist.
In early December, another graduate completed the Wellness court and is ready to share her journey. It is my honor to introduce our most recent Band Member graduate, Karri Kegg. Please come forward.
[Please read her speech in the highlight on next page.]
Please help me give Karri a round of applause. Your hard work over the course of the last several years has been rewarding and worthwhile.
The Family Healing to Wellness Court creates a powerful ripple effect, transforming lives through culturally-rooted recovery and team-based support, resulting in faster parental reunifications, fewer children in foster care and a growing sober, healthier community. With four graduates and four active participants in three years of operation, the Wellness court is positively impacting 33 lives within the family units combined.
In closing, the Judiciary looks forward to continuing collaborative efforts between all three branches of government to ensure that the justice system continues to advocate, support, and resolve conflicts or societal needs so that our Band members and their families continue to lead the good life.
Migwech for listening to the State of the Judiciary report.
