Major Crimes Act
The Major Crimes Act was passed in 1885 and enacted in 1886 in response to the U.S. Supreme Court cases Ex parte Kan-gi-Shun-ca (Crow Dog), 109 U.S. 556 (1883) and U.S. v. Kagama, 118 U.S. 375 (1886). In those cases, the Court held that specific major offenses were to be tried in tribal courts and did not fall under federal jurisdiction. However, the Major Crimes Act gave the federal government jurisdiction over 15 specific crimes, including murder, manslaughter, incest, felony assault, felony assault of a person under the age of 16, and more, that are perpetrated by a Native American against another Native American on Native territory. The federal government maintains jurisdiction over the listed offenses even if the victim is non-Native. The Act reduced tribal sovereignty by undermining the authority of respective Nations to prosecute certain offenses internally and independently within their own courts.
[Last reviewed in August of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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