Monday, November 12, 2007

Laws ridiculous

The Post is running a series on the jurisdictional nightmare of "Indian justice." The first article, "Promises, justice broken," bears the blurb, "A dysfunctional system lets serious reservation crimes go unpunished and puts Indians at risk." It has links to the other articles thus far, including one on the 1885 law that led to
the most complicated jurisdictional regime in the country. It's the only legal system under which the race of the victim and perpetrator determines the court of jurisdiction.
It's ludicrous:
Police working on or around Oklahoma's patchwork reservations have to carry GPS devices because the change by a few feet in the location of a crime can determine whether it's under state, tribal or federal authority.
Luckily, Native Americans have Ward Churchill to fight for them.

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