Alexandre Fedorovski
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- Dec 9, 2017
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Supreme Court Hands Over Huge Chunk of Oklahoma to Native American Tribe
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that much of the eastern half of Oklahoma is a Native American reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into chaos.
The court’s 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against Native American defendants in parts of Oklahoma that include most of Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city.
“Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word,” Gorsuch wrote in a decision joined by the court’s liberal members.
Source:
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that much of the eastern half of Oklahoma is a Native American reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into chaos.
The court’s 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against Native American defendants in parts of Oklahoma that include most of Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city.
“Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word,” Gorsuch wrote in a decision joined by the court’s liberal members.
Source:
Supreme Court Says Huge Swath of Oklahoma Belongs to Creek Indian Tribe
The Supreme Court ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma is a Native American reservation belonging to the Creek tribe.
www.westernjournal.com