Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe
At a glance:
- Series: Racial and Ethnic Relations in America
- Categories: Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Law, Legal History, Courts
- Subcategories: Native Americans, American Indians, Court Cases, Rulings, Appeals, Supreme Court, U.S.
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present, American Indian History
- Geographical Location: Washington
- Date: 1978
Article abstract: On March 6, 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe decided that tribes do not have jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit crimes on reservations.
In 1978, during a tribal celebration, two non-Indian residents of the Port Madison Reservation of the Suquamish Tribe (Washington) violated tribal laws. Mark Oliphant was arrested for assaulting tribal police officers and resisting arrest, and Dan Belgarde was arrested for hitting a tribal police car in a high-speed chase. The two argued the Suquamish tribe...
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