{"id":1656,"date":"2020-09-30T01:22:18","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T06:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=1656"},"modified":"2020-09-30T01:22:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T06:22:18","slug":"trump-administration-deals-with-fallout-from-tribal-victory-at-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/trump-administration-deals-with-fallout-from-tribal-victory-at-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration deals with fallout from tribal victory at Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-attachment-id=\"1659\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/trump-administration-deals-with-fallout-from-tribal-victory-at-supreme-court\/williambarrdonaldtrump\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/williambarrdonaldtrump.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"williambarrdonaldtrump\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/williambarrdonaldtrump-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/williambarrdonaldtrump.jpg\" alt=\"williambarrdonaldtrump\" class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-1659\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">U.S. Attorney General William Barr, left, speaks with President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland,  on  September 1, 2020. Photo: <a href=https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/whitehouse\/50297459368\/>Shealah Craighead \/ White House<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Trump administration deals with fallout from tribal victory at Supreme Court<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, September 30, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Trump administration&#8217;s top legal official is in Oklahoma to learn more about the impacts of the historic <a href=https:\/\/www.supremcourt.gov\/>U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> decision that affirmed the treaty rights of the <a href=https:\/\/www.mcn-nsn.gov\/>Muscogee (Creek) Nation<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut Attorney General William Barr, the head of the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/>Department of Justice<\/a>, is prepared to snub the tribe whose victory in the closely-watched <a href=https:\/\/sct.narf.org\/caseindexes\/mcgirt_v_ok.html><em>McGirt<\/em> case<\/a> is still being celebrated across Indian Country. As of late Tuesday night, he hadn&#8217;t yet confirmed whether he would meet with leaders of the Creek Nation, whose <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/07\/09\/on-the-far-end-of-the-trail-of-tears-nat.asp>reservation boundaries were confirmed by the high court&#8217;s landmark ruling<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThis is a huge faux pas,\u201d one Oklahoma Indian insider said of the Trump administration&#8217;s failure to reach out to the Creeks.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAnd it&#8217;s not just Creek leaders who have been kept in the dark. According to officials from two tribes, the state&#8217;s Congressional delegation &#8212; all  are Republicans, except for one &#8212; didn&#8217;t find out about Barr&#8217;s roundtable until Wednesday morning, much like the rest of the public.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAs a result, at least one Republican lawmaker is also pushing for Barr to meet with the Creek Nation, according to a person briefed on the discussions that emerged once word got out about the high-profile visit from a member of Donald Trump&#8217;s Cabinet, less than 40 days from the presidential election.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Now is the time to exercise our sovereignty, not voluntarily surrender it&quot;: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is affirming its strength and calling on Indian Country to stand for tribal rights following a historic <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SupremeCourt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SupremeCourt<\/a> win. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/McGirt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#McGirt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HonorTheTreaties?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HonorTheTreaties<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jgSfkx3PYQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/jgSfkx3PYQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1285227697447239685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 20, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe breaches of tribal and political protocol come as Barr makes his first to Indian Country in nearly a year. Last November, he <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/KerriKupecDOJ\/status\/1198261295629373443>traveled to the Flathead Reservation<\/a> in Montana, where he met with leaders of the <a href=https:\/\/csktribes.org\/>Confederated  Salish and Kootenai Tribes<\/a> and discussed efforts to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans, especially women and girls, who are disappearing and being victimized at alarming rates.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe crisis has been the focus of <a href=https:\/\/operationladyjustice.usdoj.gov\/>Operation Lady Justice<\/a>, a task force that was <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Video\/2019\/12\/01\/operation-lady-justice-mmiw-mm.asp>established by President Trump<\/a> later that month. The group is co-chaired by Barr, though he has not participated in any of the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/06\/03\/native-women-confront-trump-administrati.asp>listening sessions<\/a> or tribal consultations that have taken place since the start of 2020.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBarr  likewise has been silent about <em>McGirt<\/em>, even though the Trump administration participated in the case and argued against the continued existence of the Creek Reservation, a position rejected  by the <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/2020\/07\/09\/mcgirt-v-oklahoma\/>Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling  of July 9<\/a>.  \r\nThat changes with the roundtable that he is tasked with leading on Wednesday, an event being hosted by the <a href=https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/>Cherokee Nation<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr>Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr.<\/a> agreed to host Barr at the tribe&#8217;s headquarters after being asked to do so by <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAttyShores>U.S. Attorney Trent Shores<\/a>, the only Native American federal prosecutor in the Trump administration. A  person familiar with the planning said the date for the event was finalized only within the past week or so.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMindful of the <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19 health crisis<\/a> that continues to impact communities across Indian Country, the Cherokee Nation insisted Barr and other attendees follow the tribe&#8217;s pandemic protocols, including social distancing and mask wearing. Following some opening remarks that are open to the media, the roundtable will take place behind closed doors at the W.W. Keeler   Complex in Tahlequah.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nShores, who is a citizen of the <a href=https:\/\/www.choctawnation.com\/>Choctaw Nation<\/a>, is among the participants. Since <em>McGirt<\/em>, his office has been prosecuting a growing number of cases that normally would have been handled by state authorities in Oklahoma.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut as Justice Neil Gorsuch pointed out in the <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526-opinion-gorsuch.pdf>Supreme Court&#8217;s 42-page ruling<\/a>, the state&#8217;s repeated exercise of criminal jurisdiction within the Creek Nation has been \u201cunlawful.\u201d <em>McGirt<\/em> put an end to the abuses once and for all.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cUnder our Constitution, states have no authority to re\u00adduce federal reservations lying within their borders. Just imagine if they did,\u201d Gorsuch observed in the decision. \u201cA state could encroach on the tribal boundaries or legal rights Congress provided, and, with enough time and patience, nullify the promises made in the name of the United States.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have experienced another first in our District with more than 60 indictments returned in a single month by the federal Grand Jury. I could not be any prouder of the diligent work of my entire team. They fight tirelessly for crime victims. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BuS2Jioywc\">https:\/\/t.co\/BuS2Jioywc<\/a><\/p>&mdash; US Attorney Shores (@USAttyShores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAttyShores\/status\/1305671311868465152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 15, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWith the U.S. government now being held to its word, Shores has made no secret of the increased workload being taken on by the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ndok>U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma<\/a>. In August, he <a hre=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/2020\/08\/12\/u-s-attorneys-office-northern-district-of-oklahoma-2\/>announced 50 grand jury indictments<\/a>, a record amount that he tied directly to <em>McGirt<\/em>. This month, he revealed  <a hre=https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAttyShores\/status\/1305671311868465152>another first<\/a>, of more than 60 indictments.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cOur attorneys, support staff, and administrative staff have worked tirelessly to pursue our mission of justice,\u201d     Shores said on September 14. \u201cThis month we were also lucky to have the help of federal prosecutors and support staff from other U.S. Attorney\u2019s Offices who volunteered to work in Tulsa for the next six months. They were essential to our efforts this month and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAccording to Shores, who also chairs the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/blog\/attorney-generals-advisory-subcommittee-native-american-issues-meets-discuss-violent-crime>Attorney General&#8217;s Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues<\/a>, which advises Barr on a wide range of Indian Country justice matters,  government  employees from as far away as New York have come to Oklahoma to help address  <em>McGirt<\/em>. And with more tribes eager for their reservation boundaries to be confirmed in the same manner as the Creek Nation, the impacts of the  decision are only expected to grow.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIt&#8217;s a historic time for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,\u201d <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChairmanJosephByrd\/>Joseph Byrd<\/a>, the newly installed chairman of the <a href=https:\/\/www.quapawtribe.com\/>Quapaw Nation<\/a>, said in an interview, sharing a sentiment of <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/07\/23\/national-congress-of-american-indians-st-1.asp>solidarity widely held  throughout Indian Country<\/a>. \u201cIt  is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation win, first and foremost.\u201d\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nAs he mounted his election campaign in Oklahoma, Byrd  graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law &#8212;  virtually, of course, due to the pandemic. Describing himself as  a  \u201cstaunch proponent of Indian tribal sovereignty,\u201d he said <em>McGirt<\/em> confirms what his people have known all along.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAbsolutely,  the Quapaw Nation reservation exists, and even the signs that go into our jurisdictional boundaries say so,&#8221; asserted Byrd, who took office in early August following the defeat of John Berrey, the tribe&#8217;s longtime former chairman.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe majority of tribes in the  eastern part of Oklahoma feel like the Muscogee (Creek) Nation win is a win for all of Indian Country,\u201d  added  Byrd, who is the son of <a href=https:\/\/cherokee.legistar.com\/PersonDetail.aspx?ID=44100&#038;GUID=4F6D553B-1633-4780-A47C-0BC1A2FD078C>Joe Byrd<\/a>, a former chief and current council member for the Cherokee Nation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nByrd isn&#8217;t the only one touting the seemingly inevitable outcome of <em>McGirt<\/em>. Even\r\nGoogle Maps, the mapping service run by one of the biggest companies in the world,   recognizes the boundaries of the <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/b9tWe5aFKUDujvsQ7>Muscogee (Creek) Nation<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Yabx9SS1PGidLvpi6>Cherokee Nation<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/bLdkJZyFs252zT4X9>Chickasaw Nation<\/a>, the <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/eguCPaWYoNypk8M49>Choctaw Nation<\/a> and the <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/qDY6VG5x8EaZrpxj6>Seminole Nation<\/a>. Together, the <a href=http:\/\/www.fivecivilizedtribes.org\/>Five Tribes<\/a> account for about 40 percent of Oklahoma&#8217;s land base.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAfter the monumental US Supreme Court ruling in <em>McGirt v Oklahoma<\/em>, we\u2019ve had many questions about our reservation boundaries, which always existed on paper maps.\r\n<a href=https:\/\/www.anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/419-cherokee-nation-reservation-now-visible-on-google-maps>Cherokee   Chief   Hoskin  said<\/a> last week. \u201cNow that our <a href=https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/Yabx9SS1PGidLvpi6>reservation is labeled on Google Maps<\/a>, it\u2019s easy for people around the world to search and see our reservation boundaries.\u201d \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt is an exciting step forward to be included on the map,\u201d   Cherokee citizen and scholar Joseph Erb said. \u201cThis is a visual reminder that our nation is still here and a contemporary Indigenous nation of [this] Continent.\u201d\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<h4> <em>U.S. Supreme Court &#8211; McGirt v. Oklahoma &#8211; July 9, 2020<\/em> <\/h4>\r\n  <ul>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526-syllabus.pdf\">Syllabus<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526-opinion-gorsuch.pdf\">Opinion [Gorsuch]<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526-dissent-roberts.pdf\">Dissent [Roberts]<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526-dissent-thomas.pdf\">Dissent [Thomas]<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/18-9526_9okb.pdf\">Complete Document<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                <\/ul>\r\n                                <h4> <em>U.S. Supreme Court &#8211; Sharp v. Murphy &#8211; July 9, 2020<\/em><\/h4>\r\n                                <ul>\r\n                                    <li>\r\n                                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/supremecourt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/17-1107_o759.pdf\">Per Curiam [From the Court]<\/a>\r\n                                    <\/li>\r\n                                <\/ul>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/818508241&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\"><\/iframe>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Audio\/2020\/05\/11\/mcgirt_v_oklahoma.asp>U.S. Supreme Court &#8211; McGirt v. Oklahoma &#8211; May 11, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trump administration tried to undermine tribal treaty rights at the nation&#8217;s highest court. Federal prosecutors are now paying the price.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,20,13,1,14,22],"tags":[77,427,428,76,420,101,430,362,56,426,397,197,249,429,127,425,85,254,220,84,154,423,422,421],"class_list":["post-1656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","category-technology","tag-cherokee","tag-chickasaw","tag-choctaw","tag-chuck-hoskin","tag-creek","tag-crime","tag-cskt","tag-doj","tag-elections","tag-joseph-byrd","tag-jurisdiction","tag-mmiw","tag-montana","tag-neil-gorsuch","tag-oklahoma","tag-quapaw","tag-republicans","tag-seminole","tag-sovereignty","tag-supreme-court","tag-treaties","tag-trent-shores","tag-us-attorneys","tag-william-barr","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-qI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/williambarrdonaldtrump.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}