BLOW TO SOVEREIGNTY

SCOTUS Rules Oklahoma Can Prosecute Crimes on Native Lands

State authorities can prosecute crimes committed against Native Americans on native lands if the perpetrator is non-Native, the court ruled Wednesday.

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to Native American sovereignty on Wednesday by ruling that Oklahoma authorities can prosecute crimes committed against Native Americans on Native lands if the perpetrator is non-Native. The Wednesday ruling rolled back a 2020 ruling that prohibited the state from prosecuting crimes on Native lands that were committed by Native Americans, the Associated Press reports. After that ruling, a state court interpreted it to mean Oklahoma authorities could not get involved in any crimes involving a Native American suspect or victim. This meant only federal officials could pursue such cases, a task they admitted they were ill-equipped to handle. The case involved a non-Native American man accused of malnourishing his disabled Native American stepdaughter, which a state court threw out due to the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision. This latest ruling covers the reservations of many tribes in Oklahoma, including the Muscogee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Quapaw and Seminole.