In a world filled with outrageous and obnoxious Republican Congresspersons, Eric Cantor once again shows himself to be up close to the top. He’s currently blocking the Violence Against Women Act in the House, and the only reason discernible is that it gives Native American tribes jurisdiction over non-Native Americans who commit crimes on tribal lands. Cantor doesn’t like that.

Erik Loomis has the grim details at Lawyers Guns & Money. Loomis quotes this section of a Huffington Post story:

[Senator Patrick] Leahy explained the provision, probably the least understood of the three additions in the Senate bill: It gives tribal courts limited jurisdiction to oversee domestic violence offenses committed against Native American women by non-Native American men on tribal lands. Currently, federal and state law enforcement have jurisdiction over domestic violence on tribal lands, but in many cases, they are hours away and lack the resources to respond to those cases. Tribal courts, meanwhile, are on site and familiar with tribal laws, but lack the jurisdiction to address domestic violence on tribal lands when it is carried out by a non-Native American individual.

That means non-Native American men who abuse Native American women on tribal lands are essentially “immune from the law, and they know it,” Leahy said.

Why is Eric Cantor ennabling white rapists?