High court says much of eastern Okla. is Indian reservation; Roberts warns of disruption in criminal justice system - Entrepreneur Generations

"The Supreme Court said Thursday that a large part of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision with implications for nearly 2 million residents," report Ann Marimow and Robert Barnes of The Washington Post. "The land at issue contains much of Tulsa."

The court had to decide, in a challenge to a prosecution, whether Congress officially eliminated the Creek Nation reservation when Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In a 5-to-4 decision, it found that that Congress “has not said otherwise,” so the land promised to the Creeks is still a reservation.

“If Congress wishes to withdraw its promises, it must say so,” wrote Justice Neil M. Gorsuch for himself and the court’s four liberal justices. “Unlawful acts, performed long enough and with sufficient vigor, are never enough to amend the law.” 

But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. warned in dissent that state prosecutions “will be hobbled and decades of past convictions could well be thrown out. On top of that, the court has profoundly destabilized the governance of eastern Oklahoma.”

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/38HlFpC High court says much of eastern Okla. is Indian reservation; Roberts warns of disruption in criminal justice system - Entrepreneur Generations

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