Oklahoman
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole introduced a bill on Tuesday to allow the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations to make agreements with the state of Oklahoma on prosecuting some crimes involving Native Americans within the tribes’ reservations.
Cole, R-Moore, said the legislation would provide “an immediate solution to the urgent issues facing law enforcement, giving them clarity to enforce the law, keep dangerous criminals behind bars and ensure justice is served.”
McGirt decision prompts changes
Under federal law, crimes involving Native Americans in Indian Country must be prosecuted by the federal government or in tribal courts. In the wake of the decision in the McGirt v. Oklahoma case, tribes and U.S. attorneys have filed hundreds of criminal cases involving Native Americans that, since statehood, had been prosecuted by state district attorneys.
By Grant D. Crawford | Tahlequah Daily Press May 10, 2021
May 10, 2021
TAHLEQUAH â The Cherokee and Chickasaw nations are pushing Congress to pass legislation to allow the state of Oklahoma to compact with tribes on criminal subject matter jurisdiction.
The tribes reportedly expecting the legislation â by Republican Congressman Tom Cole â to be introduced Tuesday. It purportedly provides the framework for the two tribes to enter into agreements with the state. It follows the McGirt decision, which has shifted the outlook of criminal jurisdiction in eastern Oklahoma.
After the Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the Muscogee Nationâs reservation was never disestablished by Congress, subsequent rulings have decided the same for Cherokee and Chickasaw nations.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Two of the most powerful Native American tribes in Oklahoma said Monday they’ve reached an agreement on federal legislation that would address concerns over criminal jurisdiction in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The leaders of the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations said the bill expected to be introduced in Congress Tuesday by Rep. Tom Cole would authorize the two tribes to reach a compact with the state over criminal jurisdiction. Cole’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the legislation, with a spokeswoman saying Cole planned to release a statement on Tuesday.
Federal bill to address criminal jurisdiction within Oklahomaâs historic tribal reservation boundaries FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2019 file photo, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin speaks during a news conference in Tahlequah, Okla. Two of the most powerful Native American tribes in Oklahoma said Monday, May 10, 2021 they ve reached an agreement on federal legislation that would address concerns over criminal jurisdiction in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. (Source: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file) By SEAN MURPHY | May 11, 2021 at 5:49 AM CDT - Updated May 11 at 5:49 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) â Two of the most powerful Native American tribes in Oklahoma said Monday theyâve reached an agreement on federal legislation that would address concerns over criminal jurisdiction in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.