Upcoming Supreme Court Rulings: Denezpi v. US

Merle Denezpi, a member of the Navajo Tribe, pled guilty to an assault charge in the Court of Indian Affairs. Subsequently, he was indicted in federal court for charges arising from the same set of facts. He was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

He challenged his conviction in federal court alleging that the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution prohibited his subsequent conviction in federal court after he was convicted in the Court of Indian Affairs.

The question pending before the Supreme Court this term is:

Does a prosecution in the Court of Indian Offenses trigger the Constitution’s Double Jeopardy Clause?

Source: Oyez.org