{"id":25807,"date":"2022-06-29T21:23:46","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T01:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=25807"},"modified":"2022-06-29T21:23:46","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T01:23:46","slug":"oklahomas-sovereignty-and-jurisdiction-outgoing-republican-attorney-general-claims-victory-in-u-s-supreme-court-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/29\/oklahomas-sovereignty-and-jurisdiction-outgoing-republican-attorney-general-claims-victory-in-u-s-supreme-court-case\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Oklahoma\u2019s sovereignty and jurisdiction’: Outgoing Republican attorney general claims victory in U.S. Supreme Court case"},"content":{"rendered":" \"John<\/a>
Oklahoma Attorney General John O\u2019Connor, left, and Gov. Kevin Stitt outside the Supreme Court, which heard the state’s challenge to a ruling on tribal court jurisdiction. O’Connor said he felt good about the state’s case. Photo by Mikaela DeLeon \/ Gaylord News<\/figcaption>\r\n
Oklahoma Attorney General: State Prevails at U.S. Supreme Court, Can Protect Crime Victims in Eastern Oklahoma<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, June 29, 2022<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nOklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/a> on June 29, 2022.<\/em>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
Attorney General John O’Connor (R), Oklahoma<\/h5>\r\nToday, the U.S. Supreme Court stood up for the safety of Oklahomans of Native American heritage in eastern Oklahoma. The Supreme Court recognized Oklahoma\u2019s sovereignty and jurisdiction to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Indians in eastern Oklahoma. \r\n

<\/P>\r\n Federal prosecutors are only prosecuting one in four felony referrals from law enforcement officers in eastern Oklahoma. Now the State prosecutors can take up the slack and get back to what we have been doing for 113 years. The Biden DOJ predicted a \u201csurge\u201d in crime in eastern Oklahoma in 2023. With this decision, hopefully that surge can be avoided.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cThis decision significantly limits the impact of McGirt. It vindicates my office\u2019s years-long effort to protect all Oklahomans\u2014Indians and non-Indians alike\u2014from the lawlessness produced by the McGirt decision. While we still have a long road ahead of us to fix all of the harms our State has experienced as a consequence of McGirt, this is an important first step in restoring law and order in our great State.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n As we move forward, Oklahoma welcomes the opportunity to continue to work with our tribal and federal partners from both the eastern and western sides of the state. As those that brought our Great State together knew, Labor Omnia Vincit \u2013 labor conquers all things. It will take hard work and an unwavering willingness to do the right thing for the right reasons to ensure every Oklahoman, regardless of ancestry, receives equal justice under the law\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

U.S. Supreme Court declines to \u201ctreat Indian victims as second-class citizens,\u201d rules for Oklahoma<\/div>\r\n\r\nAdditionally, Attorney General John O’Connor’s office issued the following press release on June 29, 2022. O’Connor will be leaving office after losing the Republican primary on June 28, 2022.<\/em>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOKLAHOMA CITY — In a victory for the State of Oklahoma, the U.S. Supreme Court today recognized the authority of the State of Oklahoma to prosecute non-Indian criminals who injure or take the lives or property of Indians in eastern Oklahoma. For the first time since the McGirt decision, Oklahoma can prosecute non-Indian criminals anywhere within the State\u2019s borders, whether or not the victim is Indian.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cAll Oklahomans, Indian and non-Indian alike, will now receive equal protection against being victimized by non-Indian criminals,\u201d said Oklahoma Attorney General John O\u2019Connor.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201c[T]he Court\u2019s precedents establish that Indian country is part of a State\u2019s territory,\u201d the Court said. \u201cStates do not need a permission slip from Congress to exercise their sovereign authority.\u201d Accordingly, the Court \u201cconclude[d] that the Federal Government and the State have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-Indians against Indians in Indian country.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn this case, Castro, a Mexican national, was convicted by a State court jury of abusing his five year-old Indian stepdaughter. Castro argued that, because his victim was Indian, Oklahoma could not prosecute him. The Indian nations agreed with Castro in a brief filed with the Supreme Court. Castro argued that he could avoid State prosecution by harming only Indians. In rejecting his argument, the Court observed that Castro \u201cwould require this Court to treat Indian victims as second-class citizens. We decline to do so.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI commend the Supreme Court for its courage. Today\u2019s ruling is an important first step in restoring law and order in our great State,\u201d said General O\u2019Connor. \u201cThe State is committed to the safety of all Oklahomans, Indian and non-Indian alike, and now non-Indian criminals cannot use discrimination to escape justice.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn addition to its win as a petitioner in Castro-Huerta, the Oklahoma Attorney General\u2019s Office has also submitted amicus briefs on the prevailing side of twelve (12) cases at the U.S. Supreme Court this term. These briefs have resulted in decisions defending the Second Amendment right to bear arms, protecting the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, and overturning Roe v. Wade, allowing States to defend the unborn and returning major policy decisions to the people and their elected representatives.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\nSyllabus<\/a> |\r\nOpinion [Kavanaugh]<\/a> |\r\nDissent [Gorsuch]<\/a> |\r\nComplete Document<\/a>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

U.S. Supreme Court Documents in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\nQuestions Presented<\/a> | \r\nDocket Sheet: No. 21-429<\/a> | \r\nOral Argument Transcript<\/a> |\r\nDay Call<\/a>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\r\n
Syllabus – Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\n
21-429_8o6a-syllabus<\/a><\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\r\n
Opinion [Kavanaugh] – Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\n
21-429_8o6a-opinion<\/a><\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\r\n
Dissent [Gorsuch] – Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\n
21-429_8o6a-dissent<\/a><\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\r\n
Full Document – Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/em><\/div>\r\n
21-429_8o6a<\/a><\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Related Stories<\/div>\r\n
U.S. Supreme Court decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/a> (June 29, 2022)<\/div>\r\n
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation stands up for sovereignty<\/a> (June 6, 2022)<\/div>
Supreme Court confirms leak as \u2018authentic\u2019 amid uncertainty for Indian Country<\/a> (May 3, 2022)<\/div>
SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court takes up Indian Country jurisdiction case<\/a> (May 2, 2022)<\/div>
Gaylord News: Tribes united as Supreme Court takes up sovereignty case<\/a> (April 28, 2022)<\/div>
U.S. Supreme Court \u2013 Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta<\/a> (April 27, 2022)<\/div>
Gaylord News: Oklahoma tribes defend sovereignty as Supreme Court weighs big case<\/a> (April 26, 2022)<\/div>
Supreme Court takes up contentious Indian Country case on final day of session<\/a> (April 26, 2022)<\/div>Supreme Court nominee advances with show of support for tribal sovereignty<\/a> (April 5, 2022)
\r\nSupreme Court hears cases with high stakes for Indian Country<\/a> (February 21, 2022)
\r\nGaylord News: Supreme Court takes another look at Indian Country dispute<\/a> (January 31, 2022)
\r\nChuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation deserves to be treated with respect<\/a> (January 31, 2022)
\r\nSupreme Court surprises by taking up contentious Indian law case<\/a> (January 21, 2022)","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) is the latest state official to claim victory in a closely watched U.S. Supreme Court case.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23660,"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":[20,13,1,9,14],"tags":[101,362,2400,511,47,85,220,84,102],"class_list":["post-25807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-opinion","category-politics","tag-crime","tag-doj","tag-john-oconnor","tag-law-enforcement","tag-race","tag-republicans","tag-sovereignty","tag-supreme-court","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-6If","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/28\/JohnOConnorKevinStitt.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25807","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=25807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}