TULSA — Justices with the U.S. Supreme Court sent questions to the U.S. and Muscogee (Creek) Nation attorneys on Tuesday on a case involving jurisdiction.
The case will decide whether the Oklahoma-based Indian tribe retains control over a vast swath of eastern Oklahoma.
A Native American man was sentenced to death for murder in state court.
The questions could mean that the nine-member court is divided on the case and that the justices are looking for a way to reach a decision.
The justices specifically asked whether any statute grants the state jurisdiction over crimes committed by Indians on Indian land.
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch is not taking part.