On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that states have the right to prosecute non-tribal members who hurt Native Americans while they are on Indian land.

CNN reported that the decision curtails tribal autonomy and limits a significant tribal verdict handed down by the Supreme Court in 2020.

Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican from Oklahoma, applauded the court's decision and referred to it as a "pivotal moment" in a statement.

Stitt, who is arguing for state sovereignty on the matter, has expressed concern that, should his side lose, it might create a pathway for people to seek abortion on tribal lands as a means of avoiding the state's stringent abortion laws.

“We think that there's a possibility that some tribes may try to set up abortion on demand," he said in an interview with KTUL before the opinion came down. "They think that you could be 1/1000 tribal member and not have to follow the state law. And so that's something that we're watching."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion in the case Wednesday, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett. He said that the Constitution "allows a State to exercise jurisdiction in Indian country."

"Indian country is part of the State, not separate from the State," Kavanaugh wrote.