Indianz.Com > News > Gaylord News: Supreme Court takes another look at Indian Country dispute

Oklahoma tribal sovereignty case gets Supreme Court review, not reversal
Monday, January 31, 2022
Gaylord News
The Supreme Court will revisit – but not overturn – its landmark 2020 decision that said a large part of eastern Oklahoma is still legally Muscogee (Creek) reservation land, a ruling that state officials claim has upended trial courts there.
The state filed more than 30 appeals this term asking the court to reverse its ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which found that Muscogee Nation Reservation boundaries still included more than 3 million acres in northeastern Oklahoma, including Tulsa. That ruling meant many crimes committed on Muscogee land had to be tried in federal or tribal, but not state, courts.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected 31 of those cases, but it did agree last Friday to hear one appeal, Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta. The only question justices will consider in that case, however, is whether the state “has authority to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Indians in Indian country.”
They will not take up the other question in Castro-Huerta that all the rejected appeals asked: Whether McGirt should be overruled.

Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Related Stories
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation deserves to be treated with respect (January 31, 2022)Supreme Court surprises by taking up contentious Indian law case (January 21, 2022)
Gaylord News: Indian Child Welfare Act in limbo amid high-stakes challenge (January 4, 2022)
Supreme Court takes up Indian law cases as tribes face new ‘unknown’ (October 19, 2021)
Chuck Hoskin: Protecting tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma (October 12, 2021)
Supreme Court returns to in-person arguments as justice tests positive for COVID-19 (October 1, 2021)
Indian Country Today: Alaska Native corporations finally receive COVID-19 funds (September 27, 2021)
Muscogee Nation: Tribal sovereignty is not a threat to Oklahoma (August 27, 2021)
Gaylord News: Funding bill passes without additional support for tribal justice systems (August 2, 2021)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation celebrates sovereignty milestone (July 12, 2021)
Muscogee Nation proclaims Sovereignty Day on anniversary of historic Supreme Court ruling (July 9, 2021)
Nation’s highest court sides with Alaska Native corporations in COVID-19 dispute (June 25, 2021)
‘I wanted to cry’: Tribes welcome ruling in long-running health care dispute (June 21, 2021)
SCOTUSBlog: Supreme Court decision marks a first for tribal sovereignty (June 11, 2021)
Montana Free Press: Supreme Court supports tribal sovereignty in law enforcement case (June 11, 2021)
Cronkite News: Supreme Court finally ‘got it right’ on tribal sovereignty (June 4, 2021)
SCOTUSBlog: Supreme Court supports tribal sovereignty over non-Indians (June 3, 2021)
Supreme Court backs tribal sovereignty in law enforcement case (June 1, 2021)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation seeks to strengthen sovereignty (May 17, 2021)
Indian Country nearly locked out of U.S. Supreme Court hearing (April 19, 2021)
Advertisement
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
A Listening Session on “The ARTIST Act: Updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act”
Native America Calling: Is Twitter worth the trade-off?
NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation’s capital
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts listening session for Indian Arts and Crafts Act
SCOTUSblog: A ‘simple’ Indian law case before the U.S. Supreme Court
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation continues to rebuild its economy
Native America Calling: Robots help teach STEM and Native languages
New York bans use of Native mascots in public schools
National American Indian Housing Council welcomes new executive director
Native America Calling: Tribal cannabis update from New York to Washington State
Fireworks as Secretary Haaland faces Republican critic on Capitol Hill
ICT won’t post on Twitter due to ‘mistrust’ of social media platform
‘It’s really meaningful to me’: Omaha Nation students visit site of former boarding school
Native America Calling: Tribal gun laws
Native America Calling: Erasing tribes in South Dakota schools
More Headlines
Native America Calling: Is Twitter worth the trade-off?
NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation’s capital
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts listening session for Indian Arts and Crafts Act
SCOTUSblog: A ‘simple’ Indian law case before the U.S. Supreme Court
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation continues to rebuild its economy
Native America Calling: Robots help teach STEM and Native languages
New York bans use of Native mascots in public schools
National American Indian Housing Council welcomes new executive director
Native America Calling: Tribal cannabis update from New York to Washington State
Fireworks as Secretary Haaland faces Republican critic on Capitol Hill
ICT won’t post on Twitter due to ‘mistrust’ of social media platform
‘It’s really meaningful to me’: Omaha Nation students visit site of former boarding school
Native America Calling: Tribal gun laws
Native America Calling: Erasing tribes in South Dakota schools
More Headlines