McGirt v. Oklahoma #HonorTheTreaties
Channel: indianz
Date: 2020-07-12

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) responds to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma during a COVID-19 press briefing on July 9, 2020.

'That just came out," said Stitt, "and we're still digesting that."

By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court on July 9 held that the reservation promised to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation by treaty still exists. The decision prevents the state of Oklahoma from exercising "unlawful" jurisdiction over major crimes committed by Indians within the tribe's boundaries.

"Obviously with the criminal cases it's gonna have an impact on Oklahomans but it's also a pretty narrow opinion that could have other implications for the state of Oklahoma," added Stitt.

"So we're still monitoring that," said Stitt, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, one of the tribes that submitted a brief in support of confirming the boundaries of the Creek Reservation.

"Obviously we're trying to figure out what does federal prosecution mean [when] the state does not prosecute certain crimes," said Stitt. "Does it stop on the on the prosecution of crimes or does it move into taxations?"

"All those all those questions are things that  nobody really knows at this point," Stitt said.

Video:  Office of Governor Kevin Stitt

#McGirt #HonorTheTreaties

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