When the Supreme Court in 2020 resurrected Native American reservations that now cover nearly half of Oklahoma, it was a win for tribal rights. But it was a calamity for Native crime victims, who lost access to justice. On Wednesday the Justices voted 5-4 to correct part of their mistake.
Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta involved a man sentenced to 35 years for child neglect. His disabled 5-year-old stepdaughter weighed 19 pounds when she was rushed to the hospital. Her crib, the state said, was “filled with bedbugs and cockroaches and contained a single, dry sippy cup, the top of which was chewed through.”
