Commentary
The Supreme Court has been giving much attention to the law regulating American Indian affairs—particularly the law of tribal sovereignty. The court has issued four major decisions on the subject in the last three years. And in the coming term, it will decide a case testing the constitutionality of Congress’s Indian Child Welfare Act.
The court’s most recent ruling is Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta (pdf), issued on Jun. 29. The case involved Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta, who was living illegally in this country—specifically in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Castro-Huerta criminally neglected his 5-year-old step-daughter, with horrific results. Castro-Huerta is not an Indian, but his step-daughter is a member of the Cherokee tribe….