U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Oklahoma Man's Appeal Monday

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an Oklahoma man's appeal Monday morning after he said his case should not have been tried in state court.

The appeal deals with a case for Jimcy McGirt, who was convicted of child sex crimes in 1996.

The Oklahoman reports that McGirt claims to be a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and that the offenses were committed on tribal land. However, his case was tried in an Oklahoma State Court, which McGirt is now appealing. Instead, he said his case should have been heard in a tribal court. 

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the case.

The high court recently took up a similar case concerning Oklahoman Patrick Murphy, a convicted murderer on death row, who also said his case should have gone before tribal court. The Supreme Court rendered no decision in that case last year.

CBS News reports that McGirt v. Oklahoma raises the question of whether states can prosecute tribal members for crimes committed within historical tribal boundaries. The ruling from the court could have major implications because the justices will be deciding whether the eastern half of Oklahoma is Indian Territory. 

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