Brett Chapman

04/09/2026

I spoke with the news about what the tribes might do after SCOTUS refused to hear the Muscogee Nation’s case about Native people and state taxation. It’s a great issue and they’re strongly in the right and hopefully the fight goes on!

A tribal attorney says a case challenging Oklahoma tax law may not be over just yet after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a state court ruling requiring tribal members to pay state income taxes.

Alicia Stroble argues she’s exempt because she’s a tribal member who lives and works on Muscogee Nation land. The Muscogee Nation says it’s looking for a remedy in federal court.

More on what could be next in the comments 🔗

01/23/2026

I appreciate being quoted as an authority on federal Indian law in this story on an important tribal sovereignty case in federal court against state overreach in Oklahoma! It’s a shame Tribes always have to fight to enforce their sovereign treaty rights!

The long, complex and disputed tail of the McGirt tribal sovereignty case continues in federal court with a challenge against state prosecutors.

10/24/2025

Very happy to be interviewed by Canadian aboriginal media APTN National News on the state of affairs for Native Americans in US politics today

Pawnee/Ponca lawyer Brett Chapman joins InFocus host Cierra Bettens to discuss Trump and his impact on Native Americans.

10/06/2025

My statement on today’s denial of certiorari by SCOTUS in Stitt v. City of Tulsa leaving in place an unprecedented state court ruling impinging tribal sovereignty in violation of federal law

07/09/2025

The Supreme Court decided McGirt v. Oklahoma on this day in 2020, reaffirming tribal sovereignty. Five years later, the promise of that day has been steadily nullified by state courts defying federal law, and so today, I asked SCOTUS to review and restore the rule of law in Oklahoma

Keith Stitt has asked SCOTUS to determine whether Oklahoma "may exercise criminal jurisdiction over an Indian for conduct in Indian County."

03/12/2025

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed again that the city can prosecute tribal members who commit minor offenses in Indian Country, even if it is the governor’s brother.

03/07/2025

“‘This decision is the crowning achievement of a recent spate of anti-Indigenous rulings handed down by these judges,’ the attorney, Brett Chapman, said. ‘Their decision is not only legally flawed but also a dangerous step toward erasing the recognition of tribal authority that has been settled law for well over a century.’”

The appeal had put Gov. Kevin Stitt and his brother, Keith Stitt, at odds.

02/14/2025

I am quoted in this article on the slippery slope of President Trump’s birthright citizenship order:

“Meanwhile, Brett Chapman, a lawyer who represents Native nations says "Any legal framework that undermines established citizenship rights sets a dangerous precedent—one that could, in time, pose significant threats to Indigenous sovereignty."

President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order raises concerns among sovereign tribes, prompting fears about federal treaty obligations and Indigenous rights.

01/20/2025

I am quoted in this story about today’s inaugural address:

“‘Trump is really going after Native Americans with references to Manifest Destiny, the Frontier, Wild West and erasing Denali’s name,’ wrote Brett Chapman, an indigenous attorney based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ‘This anti-Indigenous inaugural address sounds like one from the 1800s when presidents deployed the U.S. military on Native Americans seeking rights.’”

President Donald Trump's inauguration speech received horrified reactions over much of its content — but one bit in particular attracted much derision: his fixation on changing the name of Denali, an Alaskan mountain with the tallest peak in North America, to its older name of Mt. McKinley.The mou...

01/14/2025

“Pawnee citizen and tribal attorney Brett Chapman, who represented O’Brien, said the constant jurisdictional battles are attempts to overturn McGirt for monetary reasons.”

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is prosecuting a Cherokee Nation citizen for driving while intoxicated on Muscogee Nation land. And that decision could soon have ripple effects.

01/07/2025

I was interviewed in this story about the State of Oklahoma’s latest unlawful infringement on the sovereign rights of the tribal nations here. It is in complete violation of federal law, but they do what they want. I am glad to see the U.S. Department of Justice get involved, though.

A Cherokee man is facing state charges for a DUI on Creek land, sparking debate over tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction.