Federal court rules tribal citizen not subject to Tulsa traffic ticket

By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal court has ruled that a speeding ticket issued by Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a Native American man cannot be enforced because the city is located within an Indian reservation. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued its decision on Wednesday. It was based on the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2020 that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation that includes much of Tulsa was never disestablished. As a result, only tribes and the federal government have jurisdiction to prosecute tribal citizens for offenses there. Experts on tribal law say a simple solution is for Tulsa to reach prosecution agreements with Native American tribes in the area.