Tribe in Oklahoma sues city of Tulsa for continuing to ticket Native American drivers

By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is suing the city of Tulsa for continuing to ticket Native American drivers for traffic offenses within the tribe’s reservation boundaries. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Tulsa against the city, Mayor G.T. Bynum, police Chief Wendell Franklin and City Attorney Jack Blair. The tribe contends Tulsa police are continuing to cite Native American drivers despite a recent federal court ruling that they lack jurisdiction. The litigation is just the latest clash in Oklahoma over tribal sovereignty since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 ruling that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s sprawling reservation that includes much of Tulsa remains intact.