Wow. I’m so used to seeing NDNs screwed by the courts, I almost can’t believe it. And Gorsuch sided with the liberals? I mean, based on the law, he should — but SCOTUS frequently ignores the law, so I’m surprised.
BREAKING: US Supreme Court rules that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into legal chaos. https://t.co/SKMZszEtTU
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 9, 2020
With #SCOTUS just ruling 5-4 for recognizing half of #Oklahoma as Native American tribal land for application of criminal law, I highly recommend this @crookedmedia podcast on the case and its implications. @jonfavs @TVietor08 https://t.co/UiueNBqe5u
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) July 9, 2020
OK, now how about the lands they were run off of to get to Oklahoma?
It’s a fantastic win. In the constitution, treaties are the supreme law of the land. So when the tribes were removed, their reservations were specified by treaty IN PERPETUITY. Subsequent encroachments were never addressed and ultimately Tribal holdings were eroded. This decision is a huge hit for Oklahoma and an equally huge win for the Tribe (I believe they’ve declared the day to be a national holiday). The state can’t collect taxes from Indian Lands and the question arises, does the state owe the tribe some or all of revenues collected from the area over the past century and a half. This situation is common across the west and bodes well for most First Nations.