Hopi Council Appoints Three to Appellate Court

KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz. (AP) — Hopi lawmakers have appointed three people to serve as appellate court judges.

Anna Atencio will serve as chief appellate judge, and Paul Berman and Robert Clinton will round out the panel. Each was appointed to a six-month term. The tribe had been without an appellate court since November when lawmakers suspended the chief judge and determined two other justices were improperly seated.

The council also contended the justices failed to act impartially in a case involving former tribal Chairman Ben Nuvamsa. The tribe turned to the Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals — a free service meant for tribes without a judicial system — to hear cases pending in Hopi appellate court.

But lawmakers say the inter-tribal court failed to address too many cases.