McGirt v. Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has now ruled that eight tribal nations in Oklahoma have never had their reservations disestablished after the landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling in the summer of 2020.

A pre-statehood law, known as the Curtis Act, was used to force allotment. It’s now being used as the latest way to challenge the landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma decision.

This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features reports on book bans disproportionately affecting works with Black characters or addressing issues of race, Black women in politics and the growing instances of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.

An obscure case of illegal hunting in south-central Oklahoma could point to new ways the state is trying to assert jurisdiction inside newly affirmed tribal reservation boundaries.

Without explanation, the United States Supreme Court recently denied two State of Oklahoma petitions seeking to define who is an Indian. It was an attempt by the state to claw back more jurisdiction over crimes in the wake of the high court's ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), a law that protects thousands of women from domestic violence and abuse. The law is especially important for Indigenous women, who have some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the nation.Last summer's Supreme Court ruling in Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma means abusers can face prosecutors in tribal, federal and now state court.

When U.S. Supreme Court Justices ruled in Oklahoma v Castro-Huerta in June 2022, some thought it might provide clarity about the relationship between states and tribal nations around criminal justice matters. But this change in legal precedent may be creating more questions than answers, and a Congressional subcommittee is trying to figure out if there is a solution.

Local district attorneys are preparing to pick up more criminal cases, but the need for more federal funding for tribal law enforcement hasn’t gone away.

This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features reports on tribal tax exemptions, new data on the long-term effects of COVID and Black excellence being showcased in an exhibit at the Claremore Museum of History.

Tribes and tribal law experts see the Castro-Huerta ruling as an alarming turn in the Supreme Court's treatment of Indian law and tribal affairs.