- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
In 2020, Muscogee (Creek) Nation enrolled tribal member Alicia Stroble filed for an income tax refund for the previous three years based on the fact that she lived within her tribe’s reservation and was employed by the tribe. Two years later, a judge for the Oklahoma Tax Commission ruled in Stroble’s favor. But the tax commission rejected the decision, and Stroble appealed.
The tax commission argued Stroble doesn't live on reservation land, but on private land (within reservation boundaries) owned by an individual, and is therefore ineligible for any state income tax exemption.
Three Oklahoma tribes—Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and Choctaw Nation— filed a joint brief in support of Stroble, contending that collecting income taxes from tribal members employed by their tribe amounts to a sovereignty issue that contradicts established law.
The tribes cited legal precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, where the court held that “a state may not tax the income of a tribal member who lives and works in her tribe’s Indian Country.”
“The Nations’ sovereignty is threatened because…If the State has the power to convert reservation economic activity into state tax dollars, it will negate ‘the right of reservation Indians to make their own laws and be ruled by them’ and jeopardize each Nation’s ability to operate programs and services that benefit their members and the State,” the brief states.
Oklahoma’s Governor Stitt—an enrolled Cherokee citizen— posted a video on X saying his goal is to ensure “fairness across the board.”
"If the Supreme Court rules that one race doesn't have to pay taxes, then no one should,” he said. “It's that simple.”
Tribal leaders disagree and point to the broader implications that hang in the balance of the legal challenge.
“The dispute raises broader questions regarding the interpretation of tribal sovereignty, federal law, and the tax obligations of Tribal citizens within Indian Country,” Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief David W. Hill said in a statement. “All of which hold great significance in relation to Indian Country’s autonomy.”
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMuscogee Nation and City of Tulsa Reach Agreement on Criminal Jurisdiction and Public Safety Collaboration
Panel on Ethical Tribal Engagement at OU Highlights Healing, Research and Sovereignty
Groundbreaking Held for Western Navajo Pipeline Phase I – LeChee Water System Improvement Project
Navajo Citizens Voice Mixed Reactions to Trump’s Coal Executive Order at Public Hearing
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
