February 18, 2026
A federal court judge has denied four Oklahoma tribes' bid for a declaration that lands within the historic boundaries of their reservations maintain their Indian Country status, saying there's no evidence of a live controversy between the Indigenous nations and Sooner State prosecutors.
October 07, 2025
An Oklahoma federal judge chided a group of tribal plaintiffs in a dispute over jurisdiction in Indian Country after they inquired about the status of their summary judgment motions, saying a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling has increased the court's criminal caseload by 200%.
January 05, 2024
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Ottawa County District Attorney Douglas Pewitt say they don't oppose a federal court declaration that says lands contained within the historic boundaries of four tribes' reservations maintain their status as Indian Country, arguing that precedent allows such a determination.
May 16, 2023
A divided Oklahoma appeals court has affirmed that two more Native American tribes still have reservations in the northeastern part of the state, determining that Congress established their lands as Indian Country and, after potentially revoking that status, restored it in 1978.
April 20, 2023
An Oklahoma federal judge has agreed to consolidate four suits from Native American tribes seeking to bar the state from prosecuting Native Americans for alleged offenses on their reservations.
March 24, 2023
A coalition of tribes is suing to stop Oklahoma from prosecuting Native Americans for criminal offenses allegedly committed on their land, telling a federal judge that, because Congress never disestablished their reservations, the state has no jurisdiction there.