Muscogee Nation judge greenlights citizenship for descendants of tribe members' slaves

A judge for Oklahoma's Muscogee Nation has ruled in favor of citizenship for two "freedmen," descendants of Black slaves once held by tribe members.

Mouser reversed the board's decision and ordered it to reconsider the applications in accordance with the tribe's Treaty of 1866, which provides that descendants of those listed on the Creek Freedmen Roll are eligible for tribal citizenship.

Freedman citizenship has been a difficult issue for tribes as the U.S. reckons with its history of racism. The Cherokee Nation has granted full citizenship to its freedmen, while other tribes, like the Muscogee Nation, have argued that sovereignty allows tribes to make their own decisions about who qualifies for citizenship.