Muscogee (Creek) Nation Sues Tulsa Over Traffic Ticketing

Tribe alleges city's prosecution of Native Americans for traffic offenses within reservation boundaries violates federal law and undermines sovereignty.

• The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Tulsa, Mayor G.T. Bynum, Chief of Police Wendell Franklin, and City Attorney Jack Blair, claiming that Tulsa's prosecution of Native Americans for offenses within the Creek Reservation violates federal law and harms the Nation's sovereignty.
• The lawsuit argues that Tulsa police are continuing to ticket Native American drivers within the tribe's reservation boundaries despite a recent federal appeals court ruling that they lacked jurisdiction to do so.
• Since a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's reservation remains intact, Tulsa has been referring felony and criminal misdemeanor offenses by Native Americans within the reservation's boundaries to the tribe for prosecution, but has declined to refer traffic offenses.
• Tribal law experts suggest a solution through an agreement where Tulsa would remit a portion of ticket revenue to the tribe, a practice already adopted by many cities and towns in eastern Oklahoma.
• Other municipalities within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s boundaries have referred over 1,000 traffic citations to the tribe for prosecution, contrasting with Tulsa's approach.

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