’On July 12, I was interviewed by Chuck Wilder on his Talkback show and we discussed the ongoing problems caused in Oklahoma by the Supreme Court‘s 2020 McGirt decision, which was slightly limited by the recent Castro-Huerta decision, though the basic problem still remains and Congress ought to fix it.

The basic problem is that, thanks to McGirt, 43% of the state of Oklahoma is considered Indian Reservation land.  And that just does not reflect reality. Visit Tulsa and tell me it‘s an Indian reservation.  Yet thanks to McGirt, the city is now considered part of the Creek and Cherokee “reservations.“

In reality there are no Indian reservations in Oklahoma. 

In the 1800s, what is now  Oklahoma was Indian Territory, but by statehood in 1907, all the reservations had been abolished.  

So declaring these lands reservations causes major jurisdictional problems.   In law enforcement, the tribes and federal government simply do not have the assets to prosecute all the crimes committed.  And McGirt may affect taxation and various other legal policies.  

You can listen to my discussion with Chuck on this topic on the Talkback archives.  Click here, then scroll down to “07-12-22 Vernuccio, Wall,“    and click that.  My interview begins after the 53-minute mark.