Welcome to Native ChocTalk
Season 1, Episode 14: “Choctaw Nation’s Chief Gary Batton & Tribal Prosecutor, Kara Bacon on McGirt vs. Oklahoma and About Tribal Government”
“The most impactful part of this decision was Justice Gorsuch saying, ‘On the far end of the Trail of Tears there was a promise’. And I think every Native that read that felt like, hey it’s about time. The US government is now going to be held to the treaties they made with our First Nations when they removed our people from their homelands”. – Kara Bacon
In 1989, a Seminole man named Jimcy McGirt, was convicted of child sexual abuse and in 1997, he was convicted of sex crimes against a 4-year-old child. A chain of events resulted that would affect the Native American world forever. Because McGirt was on Native (Creek/Muskogee) land when he committed the act, his lawyers argued on May 11th, 2020 that because of the Indian Major Crimes Act, he should be tried in federal court (rather than by the state). Hear the oral argument (left side of the page) here: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-9526
Friends, on July 9th, 2020, THE single most extraordinary and unprecedented Supreme Court decision in our lifetime was made for Native country. It was decided in McGirt vs. Oklahoma that Creek Nation lands would remain “Indian Country” jurisdiction. And other tribes would soon follow. This was a win – a big win!
But as much as we celebrated this victory, we also simultaneously thought, “But what does it really mean - for us as Natives, for our tribe, for our justice system, for our healthcare and so on?”
To squelch the confusion, I’ve called in the best of the best – our Choctaw Nation Chief, Gary Batton and Tribal Prosecutor, Kara Bacon. It’s important for everyone, but especially we as Chahtas to comprehend what all of this means. I highly recommend taking time to listen and soak it all in.
High fives to us all – to Indian country, to our ancestors and to our future generations who will hopefully carry the torch even further. Chahta sia hoke!
Season 1, Episode 14: “Choctaw Nation’s Chief Gary Batton & Tribal Prosecutor, Kara Bacon on McGirt vs. Oklahoma and About Tribal Government”
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
 |
 |
 |
 |
