Supreme Court affirms Muscogee (Creek) reservation status
Wendy Weitzel, Reporter
July 9, 2020
WASHINGTON -- The ground shifted in Oklahoma shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday when the Supreme Court ruled the eastern half of the state is still comprised of Native American reservations. Suddenly, jurisdictional lines were rearranged: A member of an Oklahoma tribe can’t be tried in state court for...
Supreme Court to rule on tribal justice remotely via telephone
Brooklyn Wayland
April 13, 2020
A tribal sovereignty issue that has been wending its way through the courts for two decades may be finally heading toward a final decision before a home-bound U.S. Supreme Court. McGirt v. Oklahoma oral arguments will be held in front of the Supreme Court despite the coronavirus pandemic...
State census response rate a little better than 10 years ago
Hogan Gore, Gaylord News
April 8, 2020
Forty-one percent of households in Oklahoma have completed the nation’s first primarily digital census with one-third of surveys completed online since the count began last week. As good as it may appear, that puts Oklahoma towards the bottom of the state response ranking. Currently the Sooner state i...
Tribal jurisdiction on Supreme Court docket again with McGirt v. Oklahoma
Brooklyn Wayland
February 26, 2020
Oral arguments in a case that could reshape tribal justice in eastern Oklahoma have been set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 21. The case, McGirt v. Oklahoma, argues under the Indian Major Crimes Act the state does not have the authority to prosecute convicted child rapist Jimcy M...
Week in Washington: Gaming compacts take center stage
February 14, 2020
Photo by Hogan Gore WASHINGTON -- Here’s a look at our stories in and around Washington this week: Tribe Officials Discuss Gaming Compacts at State of Indian Nations Gaming compacts in Oklahoma came up after Monday’s State of Indian Nations address, highlighting the ongoing conflict be...
Tribes Must Step Up Against Gaming Compact Dispute
February 11, 2020
WASHINGTON — American Indian tribes face “a direct threat to their sovereignty” if they don’t stand up to the power of the Oklahoma state government trying to manipulate its gaming compacts with the tribes, an official of the nation’s largest Native American group said Monday. Fawn Sharp, ...
Oklahoma artist designs first national memorial honoring Native veterans
Addison Kliewer
September 23, 2019
WASHINGTON––Members of tribal nations across the country gathered at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian on Saturday for the groundbreaking of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, a tribute designed by an Oklahoma artist. Harvey Pratt, the designer of the memorial ...
It may be a year before Cherokee delegate is seated in Congress
Addison Kliewer
September 20, 2019
WASHINGTON—Kimberly Teehee returned to the Capitol this week to work with congressional aides in crafting a plan that will permit her to take a seat as the Cherokee Nation delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. While the visit to Congressional offices by Teehee and Cherokee Principal...
