Following the 10th Circuit’s decision today in Hooper v. Tulsa, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. issued the following statement:
“We are pleased that with today’s decision in Hooper v. Tulsa, the 10th Circuit upheld tribal sovereignty and settled federal law – reaffirming that states and municipalities do not have criminal jurisdiction over Indians in Indian country. The court successfully denied attempts to circumvent these principles by turning to defunct, territorial provisions of the Curtis Act.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the existence of our reservations. As tribes continue to prioritize tangible solutions to protect public safety on our reservations, we hope we can now move forward. We again encourage all state officials to join the cooperative efforts to promote public safety on behalf of all Oklahomans.”