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The ruling means that for the first time much of eastern Oklahoma is legally considered reservation land. More than 1.8 million people live in the land at issue, including roughly 400,000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma's second-largest city.
Tribe members who live within the boundaries are now set to become exempt from certain state obligations such as paying state taxes, while certain Native Americans found guilty in state courts may be able to challenge their convictions on jurisdictional grounds. The tribe also may obtain more power to regulate alcohol sales and expand casino gambling.
The ruling could affect the other four of the "Five Tribes" in Oklahoma: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole tribes.
This is huge news with massive implications on governance, criminal prosecution, taxation, and land use policies.