Credit Joe Ravi / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in
McGirt v Oklahoma that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation was never disestablished, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma have seen more than four times as many criminal defendants.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Court saw an even bigger increase in cases.
According to a currently unpublished analysis by District Tribal Court Civil Division Judge Stacy Leeds, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation court has seen 30 times as many criminal cases since the decision, along with significant increases in protective orders and traffic cases. Leeds said there’s been no accompanying increase in judges or court staff, but they’ve handled the increased workload in stride. The real challenge has been getting defendants to and from court.