Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations' Lawsuit with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt

Press Release from President Terri Parton Regarding the Lawsuit Filed by the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations: 

The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Stands United with Oklahoma Tribes On Compact Renewal

ANADARKO, Okla. - Since the Tulsa World op-ed piece last summer, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has continually expressed his intention to renegotiate the Model State-Tribal Compact ("Compact").  The Compact, passed by a vote of the people in a statewide referendum in 2004, contains an express provision for its renewal on January 1, 2020.  Under certain conditions, the Compact automatically renews, and the state has satisfied those conditions.  For months, the Governor has continued his campaign of disinformation and has now hired another high-priced out-of-state law firm to fight the Oklahoma tribes.  On December 31, 2019, the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and Choctaw Nation - three of the state's largest gaming tribes - filed a lawsuit to restore certainty, both for Oklahoma tribes and all of Oklahoma.

"More than 200,000 more Oklahomans voted for the Compact than for Governor Stitt, and tribes have nearly tripled the estimates of their contributions to the state," President Parton of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes stated.  "The state by its own actions has triggered renewal - we stand united with Oklahoma tribes in defense of our Compact rights."

The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes consists of approximately 3,400 citizens and is aboriginal to Oklahoma.  Its reservation is located in western Oklahoma, north of Anadarko.

(Press Release Issued by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Communications Office on January 3, 2020.)