Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: U.S. Supreme Court ruling a ‘real threat’ to tribal sovereignty
Tribal officials: Court ruling poses ‘real threat’ to sovereignty, safety
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Indigenous leaders called on Congress Tuesday to reverse a Supreme Court ruling that expands states’ ability to prosecute crimes on tribal land, a ruling they said threatens their sovereignty and their ability to protect their citizens.
Witnesses told a House Natural Resources subcommittee that the Castro-Huerta ruling tramples on 200 years of legal precedent about tribal jurisdiction and has made it harder for them to pursue cases of domestic violence or missing and murdered Indigenous people, among other crimes.
“This departure from well-established law by the U.S. Supreme Court represents a real threat to tribal sovereignty,” said Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill. “No longer did states lack jurisdiction unless Congress authorized it. Now, states have jurisdiction unless Congress has specifically preempted it.”
![Tribal Sovereignty](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/21/HouseSubcommitteeforIndigenousPeoplesoftheUnited-States.jpg)
![U.S. Supreme Court](https://indianz.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/21/SupremeCourt-scaled.jpg)
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
Alaska Beacon: Trump administration faces lawsuit over tribal gaming facility
Native America Calling: Medicaid’s next chapter in Indian Country
H.R.43, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act
H.R.42, the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act
H.R.226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act
House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs holds first hearing
Native America Calling: Rising home insurance rates put more Native Americans at risk
Citizen of Navajo Nation tapped for Indian Affairs post
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Ann-Helén Laestadius
‘Collateral damage’: Indian education roiled by President Trump’s anti-DEI directives
Secretary Doug Burgum takes over Department of the Interior
Health and Human Services nominee responds to written questions about Indian health
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs schedules first meeting of 119th Congress
Judge hears arguments in federal funding case
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (February 3, 2025)
More Headlines
Native America Calling: Medicaid’s next chapter in Indian Country
H.R.43, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act
H.R.42, the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act
H.R.226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act
House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs holds first hearing
Native America Calling: Rising home insurance rates put more Native Americans at risk
Citizen of Navajo Nation tapped for Indian Affairs post
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Ann-Helén Laestadius
‘Collateral damage’: Indian education roiled by President Trump’s anti-DEI directives
Secretary Doug Burgum takes over Department of the Interior
Health and Human Services nominee responds to written questions about Indian health
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs schedules first meeting of 119th Congress
Judge hears arguments in federal funding case
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (February 3, 2025)
More Headlines