Up to ten on Oklahoma’s death row could escape execution due to High Court ruling

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – As many as 10 death row inmates in Oklahoma could escape execution because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The inmates are challenging their convictions in state court following the high court’s ruling last year.

Dubbed the McGirt decision, the ruling determined that much of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation.

The decision means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal charges in cases in which the defendants, or the victims, are tribal citizens.

The 10 inmates represent more than one-fifth of Oklahoma’s prisoners currently on death row.