Oklahoma Gov. Stitt, attorney general are ‘enemies of sovereignty,’ Cherokee leader says | Govt-and-politics

“The governor’s goal is for Oklahoma to exist as a state, which requires legal certainty that we don’t currently have because of McGirt.”

Leonard said state officials tried but failed to find consensus between the tribes on joint agreements or federal laws that would clarify the scope of the Supreme Court ruling.

“That really left us no choice but the dishes where we are today,” he said.

As evidence of what can happen when two sides work together, tribal leaders cited dozens of agreements they signed with counties and cities to represent law enforcement officers. The agreements are contrary to the rhetoric of the state, said David Hill, chief chief of the Muscogee Nation.

“The aim of this ‘chaos campaign’ seems to have one of two outcomes: the passage of laws to repeal McGirt or the supreme court overturning its own decision,” he said. “I believe we should help develop tribal self-governance rather than looking for ways to weaken them.”

Hoskin, whose Cherokee nation is based in northeast Oklahoma, used the rescue workers’ response analogy to a fire to describe the current tribal-state relationship that responded to the Supreme Court decision.

“We have three fire departments,” he said. “Two of them have a very calm, very present leadership trying to put out the fire. One of the departments has great men and women who work hard every day. But they have a leader who goes around with his hair burning and says there is chaos, the building is on fire. “