To recognize Native American Day 2025, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Kristina B. Lindquist and Shingle Springs Tribal Court Chief Judge Victorio Shaw shared the following statement:

On Friday, September 26, we recognize Native American Day. At the Sacramento Superior Court, we celebrate the area’s original inhabitants: the Maidu, Miwok, Nisenan, and Wintu peoples. We admire their survival in the face of genocide and systemic injustice, and we recognize their important contributions, as stakeholders and partners, to the past, present, and future of this region.

Today, California is home to the highest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the country. Within California, there are 109 federally recognized tribal governments and an additional 70 or so non-federally recognized tribes. We have more than 100 Indian reservations and rancherias across the state.

In California, approximately 32 Tribal Courts serve the people of 50 different tribes. These independent court systems are essential in upholding justice, serving their communities, and ensuring that tribal cultures and values are respected and endure. The judges and staff at these Tribal Courts, like those at the Sacramento Superior Court, are committed to treating those who appear before them fairly.

This Native American Day, we celebrate the enduring spirit and achievements of the Native American people and acknowledge the importance of a shared purpose in our work toward access to justice for all.

To learn more:

https://courts.ca.gov/programs-initiatives/tribalstate-programs/california-tribal-communities https://www.shinglespringsrancheria.com/tribal-court/ 

Judge Kristina B. Lindquist was appointed to the Sacramento Superior Court bench in 2018 and serves on the Tribal Court-State Court Forum, which makes recommendations to the Judicial Council of California for improving the administration of justice in all proceedings in which the authority to exercise jurisdiction by the state judicial branch and the tribal justice systems overlaps.

Judge Victorio L. Shaw was appointed by the Tribal Council as an Appellate Judge to the Wilton Rancheria Appellate Panel in 2020. Judge Shaw is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. He serves as Chief Judge of the Shingle Springs Tribal Court.