Oklahoma AG reaches jurisdiction agreement with five tribes

(AP) Oklahoma’s attorney general and five major Native American tribes in Oklahoma have reached an agreement on civil and criminal jurisdiction after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. Republican Attorney General Mike Hunter announced the deal on Thursday, along with tribal leaders of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations. Under the agreement, the state would have criminal jurisdiction over non-Native American offenders throughout the treaty territories, with some exceptions, while the tribes would have jurisdiction over offenders who are tribal citizens. The agreement clarifies that civil jurisdiction would remain largely unchanged.