History's Headlines: The Walking Purchase

A person might be forgiven if they had been unable to keep up with all of the major decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court over the last few weeks. But perhaps none has more roots in American history than McGirt v. Oklahoma. This 5-4 verdict confirmed a vast swath of eastern Oklahoma is part of Indian territory.
The case revolved around a prisoner who claimed as a Native American he, as a resident of territory that was granted to the Creek tribe by the federal government, should be tried under federal or tribal law, not state or local law. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a westerner and conservative appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote the majority decision in the case.
“Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for the purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its words.”
Some attempted to make light of this decision. “The court just gave away half of Oklahoma. Literally Manhattan is next,” tweeted Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Cruz was kidding of course but for the Native Americans involved it was simply a recognition of their status. No one was claiming to take over Tulsa. “Not one inch of land changed hands today,” said Jonodev Chaudhurt, ambassador for the Creek nation. “All that happened was that charity was brought to potential prosecutions within Creek Nation.”
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Read Frank Whelan's full story at WFMZ.com:
www.wfmz.com/features/history...