Oklahoma can have jurisdiction over Native American land according to the Supreme Court's ruling.
Justice Neil Gorsuch said the ruling failed to honor the promises made to the nation.
Only tribal and federal authorities can prosecute crimes in the jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court failed to "honor this Nation's promises" as it rolled back tribal authority in Oklahoma, according to a dissent written by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.
In the case Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, the nation's highest court ruled that state authorities can retain jurisdiction over crimes that take place in Native American territory.
The justice wrote a fiery dissent against the decision.
"Now, at the request of Oklahoma's executive branch, this Court overturns those lower-court decisions, defies Congress's statutes requiring tribal consent, offers its own consent in place of the Tribe's, and allows Oklahoma to intrude on a feature of tribal sovereignty that has existed
Even though we have failed to do our own, one can only hope the political branches and future courts will honor their promises.
The Major Crimes Act ruled in 2020 that a large portion of eastern Oklahoma was Native American tribal land. Only tribal and federal authorities can prosecute crimes in the area.
The Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation said he was disappointed in the ruling.
It doesn't diminish our commitment to protecting Oklahomans on our reservations and across the state. The need to work together on behalf of Oklahomans has never been more clear.
Business Insider has an article on it.
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