Case library · The Domestic Dependent Nation
Tried By A Tribal Court
Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe (1978)
Charge: Assaulting a tribal officer and resisting arrest; recklessly endangering another person and damaging tribal property (tribal court prosecutions)Court: U.S. Supreme CourtState: WashingtonDocket: The Domestic Dependent Nation
The facts
Two men who lived on a reservation but were not tribal members were arrested by tribal police and charged in the tribal court. One was accused of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest during a tribal celebration; the other of reckless endangerment and damaging tribal property after a high-speed race on reservation roads ended in a crash with a police vehicle. Both asked a federal judge to free them, saying a tribal court cannot try and punish an outsider.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe, 435 U.S. 191 (1978)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.