FY 2015 marked the 18^th anniversary since the creation of the Fort McDowell Tribal Court in 1997.  Prior to 1997, all disputes legal disputes were handled by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Court.

The Fort McDowell Court was created over the span of a weekend out of necessity after the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Court notified officials of Fort McDowell that it could no longer provide judicial services for Fort McDowell.