United States v. McBratney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States v. McBratney |
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| Full case name | United States v. McBratney |
| Citations | 104 U.S. 621 (more)
14 Otto 621; 26 L. Ed. 869
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| Prior history | Certificate of division from Circuit Court |
| Holding | |
| Upon the admission of Colorado as a state, there being no reservation to the United States of jurisdiction over the Indian territory within the state limits, that the United States circuit court for the district of Colorado had no jurisdiction over the murder of one white man by another in the Ute reservation in said state | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Gray, joined by unanimous |
United States v. McBratney was an important case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1881. The Court had to decide who had the power, or "jurisdiction," to handle a crime that happened on a Native American reservation in Colorado. The big question was whether a federal court or a state court should deal with a crime committed by one non-Native person against another on reservation land. The Supreme Court decided that the state courts had this power in this specific situation.
What Happened?
A man named McBratney was found guilty of killing Thomas Casey. This happened on the Ute Reservation in Colorado. McBratney then argued that the federal courts didn't have the right to try him. He said that because both he and Casey were non-Native, the crime should be handled by the state of Colorado, not the federal government.
The case went to a higher court, called the circuit court. The judges there couldn't agree on who had the power to try the case. So, they asked the Supreme Court for help. This is called a certificate of division.
The Supreme Court's Decision
Justice Horace Gray wrote the main opinion for the Supreme Court. The Court looked at the laws and treaties involved. They noted that a treaty with the Ute tribe did talk about federal power. However, the law that made Colorado a state did not specifically say that the federal government kept its power over Native American reservations within the state's borders.
Justice Gray pointed out that in the past, when other states like Kansas were created, Congress had clearly stated that the federal government would keep power over reservation lands. Since this wasn't done for Colorado, the state government had the power.
This meant that for crimes committed by one non-Native person against another on a reservation, the state courts had the power to hear the case. However, federal courts would still have power for crimes involving Native Americans and non-Native people.
What Happened After
After this decision, things changed for new states joining the United States. Almost every state admitted since United States v. McBratney, except for Hawaii, has been required to agree that the federal government would keep its power over Native American reservation lands within their borders. This made sure that federal laws would apply on reservations in those new states.
