Federal judge declines to confirm Osage Nation reservation status

A federal judge in Oklahoma declined to confirm whether the Osage Nation’s reservation remains intact, denying a request to revive a previous lawsuit, according to KOSU. U.S. District Judge John D. Russell of the Northern District of Oklahoma issued an order denying the Osage Nation’s request for relief from a 2009 ruling after the tribe sought to confirm the reservation’s status following the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

Russell wrote the request was “procedurally improper” and said the court is no longer active in the case, according to KOSU. However, he indicated the tribe could pursue a new version of the lawsuit. Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said the decision offers a roadmap for bringing the reservation issue back before federal courts for review, according to KOSU. He was quoted as saying in a statement that the tribe maintains the Osage Nation Reservation “was never disestablished.”