Federal judge affirms Tulsa prosecutor’s right to charge non-Muscogee citizens on reservation

By Robby Korth , Sarah Liese (Twilla)

A federal judge ruled against the Muscogee Nation ‘s initial effort to limit a Tulsa County prosecutor from trying Indigenous people who aren’t citizens of the tribe on its reservation.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell wrote that federal law does not prevent Tulsa County prosecutors from asserting concurrent criminal jurisdiction over Indigenous, non-Muscogee citizens within the reservation boundaries.

Frizzell denied a preliminary injunction to prevent District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler from prosecuting those individuals for crimes that wouldn’t fall under the Major Crimes Act.

Under the McGirt precedent, tribes or federal prosecutors are given criminal jurisdiction to charge nonmember Indigenous defendants. Frizzell wro