Supreme Court seems divided in Oklahoma Indian Country case

By MARK SHERMAN and KEN MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A seemingly divided Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over Oklahoma’s authority to prosecute some crimes on Native American lands, following a 2020 high court decision. The outcome probably rests with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the only member of the court who didn’t take part in the earlier case. Barrett, who joined the court later in 2020 after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, didn’t tip her hand in more than two hours of arguments. The case pits Native tribes in Oklahoma against Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and is the latest strain on his relationship with tribal leaders. The high court is being asked to decide whether the state retains the authority to prosecute non-Indians for crimes committed on tribal land when the victim is Native American.