The Supreme Court issued its last set of decisions on Thursday. While much of the discussion revolved around defeats for President Donald Trump in the effort to conceal his financial records, another decision took place—a historic decision affirming the rights of Native Americans to the land owed them by treaties signed with the U.S. government.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in McGirt V. Oklahoma that a treaty entitling the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to a significant portion of eastern Oklahoma is still in effect. The land remains a Native American reservation, thereby maintaining its tribal sovereignty.
The Muscogee (Creek) people originated from the Southeast United States but were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma on the horrific Trail of Tears. It is the United States' fourth largest tribe, with nearly 100 thousand citizens.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his opinion:
"Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law, because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word."
The ruling was largely considered a landmark victory for Native American rights, but not everyone was celebrating.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) took his grievances to Twitter.
The take isn't without a level of cringeworthy irony, not just because the treaty entitled the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to its allotted treaty portion, but because the very word "Oklahoma" is derived from the Choctaw Nation language. The Choctaw were part of a confederacy with the Creek dubbed the "Five Civilized Tribes" by the early settlers. The other tribes were the Tsalagi (Cherokee), Seminole and Chickasaw.
Cruz in his criticism of the ruling said "Manhattan is next." The word "Manhattan" is derived from the Munsee Lenape Nation language.
Cruz may have come in hot with his take on the ruling, but the reception to it was ice cold.
And people didn't give up the chance to gloat that the opinion was written by Gorsuch, whom Trump himself appointed.
Better luck next time, Ted.
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