Title: Supreme Court says eastern half of Oklahoma is Native American land
Headings: Supreme Court says eastern half of Oklahoma is Native American land
Supreme Court says eastern half of Oklahoma is Native American land
Key Points

Content: “Under our Constitution, States have no authority to reduce federal reservations lying within their borders. Just imagine if they did,” he wrote. “A State could encroach on the tribal boundaries or legal rights Congress provided, and, with enough time and patience, nullify the promises made in the name of the United States. That would be at odds with the Constitution, which entrusts Congress with the authority to regulate commerce with Native Americans, and directs that federal treaties and statutes are the ‘supreme Law of the Land,’” he wrote. Gorsuch added that if that happened, “It would also leave tribal rights in the hands of the very neighbors who might be least inclined to respect them.” Kanji, in an interview after the decision, said that despite the arguments by the state and in Roberts’ dissent, “I don’t think this case is going to have earth-shattering consequences” on the residents of the land, be they Native American or not. “It just doesn’t change anything with respect to non-Indians” in terms of criminal cases, Kanji said. He said the tribe will be able to exercise civil and regulatory authority over the affected land, but noted that in areas that were already acknowledged by the state to be tribal land there already is “a tremendous amount of cooperation” between the state and the tribe on laws and regulation. “We would fully expect that cooperation to continue,” Kanji said. He also noted that “the court itself has placed a lot of limitations on Indian tribes with respect to non-Indians” who live on tribal land.