Chickasaw Nation Replies on Oklahoma Law - The Wall Street Journal
Sheriff's deputies watch protesters outside the Oklahoma County office building in Oklahoma City, July 20, 2020.
Photo: Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press“How to Get Away With Manslaughter” (Review & Outlook, Dec. 4) uses provocative anecdotes to attack a Supreme Court ruling that reminded Oklahoma that U.S. treaties with tribal nations mean something. Oklahoma media offer a different perspective. “The observation of most media,” editorialized the Tahlequah Daily Press, “is that tribes and feds are working at a steady pace to bring these cases to bear.” The Tulsa World has suggested that curated outrage manifests “a bit of psychological denial” that “does nothing to make Oklahoma safer.”
What makes Oklahoma safer is tribal nations working effectively with law enforcement. Oklahoma is not a lawless frontier Deadwood. At Chickasaw Nation, where the reservation was affirmed in March, 70% of the charges our police develop are referred to nontribal courts, and 60% of the cases our prosecutors bring are referred to us by nontribal police. This pattern of partnership repeats throughout eastern Oklahoma, albeit with neither support nor cooperation from Oklahoma’s governor, who appears focused on recruiting national press to lay political siege to the court rather than engaging with tribal governments.
Stephen Greetham
Senior counsel, Chickasaw Nation
Oklahoma City
While the loopholes for criminals that you cite are egregious, you have fallen into the trap of looking to the court to remedy them. That something is obviously wrong is not sufficient basis for a legal decision. It is the job of Congress to administer the legal status of the Creek Reservation. Surely, it can’t be Justice Neil Gorsuch’s fault for the legislative branch’s failure to discharge its responsibility.
Jeffrey MacLauchlan
New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
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source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chickasaw-nation-tribal-oklahoma-law-supreme-court-justice-gorsuch-11639078495
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