Case library · The Domestic Dependent Nation
Burglary Inside Reservation Lines
Seymour v. Superintendent (1962)
Charge: Attempted burglary (state prosecution)Court: U.S. Supreme CourtState: WashingtonDocket: The Domestic Dependent Nation
The facts
A tribal member was convicted in a state court of attempted burglary. The building he was accused of breaking into stood on land inside the old boundaries of a reservation. He said the state had no power to try him at all: a crime by a tribal member in "Indian country" can only be prosecuted in federal court. The state answered that an old act opening that land to settlers had dissolved the reservation, leaving ordinary state ground.
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: Seymour v. Superintendent, 368 U.S. 351 (1962)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.