Supreme Court Deadlock Delivers Justice To Native American Boy Allegedly Molested At A Dollar Store

A tied 4-4 decision in the Supreme Court yesterday allows a sexual assault case filed against a non-Native defendant to move forward in tribal courts.

“This is a powerful victory for tribal sovereignty and Native women and children!” Jacqueline Agtuca, a lawyer and policy consultant for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, wrote in an email.

“It would have been devastating had … tribal civil jurisdiction not been upheld,” said Rebecca Nagle, an anti-rape activist. “[It] would have been the most devastating case to Native American rights in half a century.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/06/25/3792332/supreme-court-dollar-general-tie-tribal-jurisdiction/