10th Circuit: Federal Criminal Jurisdiction Exists On Pueblo Of Santa Clara Land

(May 9, 2024, 9:02 AM EDT) -- DENVER — A federal trial court did not err in denying a non-Indian man’s motion to dismiss a second-degree murder charge against him for lack of jurisdiction because federal criminal jurisdiction exists on the Pueblo of Santa Clara land where the crime was committed as it is considered Indian country for the purposes of the Major Crimes Act (MCA), a 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel found in affirming the trial court’s judgment....