<P> Public Law 280 transferred law enforcement authority from the federal government to state law enforcement in six states, and other states were allowed to assume criminal jurisdiction if the affected Indian (Native American) tribe gave its consent . The idea was to divest the tribes of jurisdiction in matters that were "deemed to be outside their competence". In 1963, the state of Washington enacted a statute to assume such jurisdiction . This statute provided that the state would only assume criminal jurisdiction with a tribe's consent, with eight exceptions . The tribe did not consent to the state assuming criminal jurisdiction, and objected to being subject to the eight listed exceptions . </P> <P> The tribe then filed suit in U.S. District Court seeking relief from the enforcement of the eight exceptions . The District Court rejected the tribe's claims and entered judgment for the state . The tribe then appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit . After the original three judge panel heard oral arguments, the Court of Appeals decided sua sponte to hear the case en banc, on the limited question of whether the state could assume partial jurisdiction . The court found that there was no prohibition on the state assuming partial jurisdiction and referred the remainder of the case to the original three - judge panel . </P> <P> The panel of the Court of Appeals found that the "checkerboard jurisdictional system" violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment . The court found no way to separate the offending portion of the statute and declared the entirety of the state law unconstitutional . The state then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which granted certiorari and requested that the parties brief the court on the issues of partial geographic and subject matter jurisdiction as well as the Equal Protection Clause . </P> <P> The Yakama tribe argued first that the Washington state constitution did not allow the state to assume jurisdiction over Indians without a constitutional amendment . On becoming a state, Washington disclaimed any jurisdiction over Indian lands . Both the tribe and the United States, as amicus curiae argued that to be able to apply Public Law 280, the state had to amend their constitution to assume jurisdiction . The state argued that the state legislature, in passing Chapter 36, had complied with the requirements of federal law to assume jurisdiction . </P>

Washington v. confederated tribes of the colville reservation