Today, the Supreme Court made a historic ruling on the reservation status of Eastern Oklahoma. Rebecca Nagle is here to break down the decision, talk through the implications, and hey, celebrate a little. Because this win — it’s huge.

Transcript

Rebecca Nagle: Yesterday, the amount of land the federal government officially recognized as Indian country, as under the jurisdiction of tribes was just 55 million acres, only two% of all land in the U.S.. Today, that number is 74 million.

Rebecca Nagle: This is Rebecca Nagle and I’m bringing you an update from This Land and Crooked Media. Today, the Supreme Court finally made its ruling on the reservation status of eastern Oklahoma. We won. For the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, and I quote “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise. Forced to leave their ancestral lands in Georgia and Alabama, the Creek Nation received assurances that their new lands in the West would be secure forever. Today, we are asked whether the land these treaties promise remains an Indian reservation for the purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.”

Rebecca Nagle: It’s been a year since I’ve spoken to you, and a lot has happened. Not just today’s decision, but a completely different Supreme Court case, new tribal leadership, a second set of oral arguments, and our own in-depth investigation on the impact of this decision on past criminal convictions. There is so much to talk about. One week from today, we are going to bring you our coverage of the Supreme Court’s ruling and what it means. You don’t want to miss it. Subscribe to This Land wherever you get your podcasts.