Man at center of tribal sovereignty ruling again convicted

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — A member of the Seminole Nation has been convicted in federal court of sexually assaulting a child after the U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled that Oklahoma prosecutors did not have authority to pursue charges against American Indians in parts of the state.

Court records show 72-year-old Jimcy McGirt was convicted on Friday in U.S. District Court in Muskogee. McGirt was convicted in a state court and sentenced to 500 years in prison in 1997, but the Supreme Court ruled either federal courts or tribal nations have jurisdiction over crimes committed by or against Native Americans on tribal land.

McGirt’s attorney said the verdict will be appealed.