POOL
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter takes notes as he listens to the opening statements from the defense during opioid trial at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Norman, Okla. in 2019.
Last week, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his resignation, saying the controversy surrounding his recent divorce filing could overshadow the work of his office. His decision could jeopardize ongoing negotiations with two of the state s biggest tribal nations over criminal jurisdiction.
The Cherokee and Chickasaw Nation have been working with Hunter s office on legislation that would allow the tribal nations to share criminal jurisdiction with the state when it comes to prosecuting crimes committed by non-Indians on reservation land.
Oklahoman
Gov. Kevin Stitt is using “overtly political rhetoric” to exaggerate some of the problems encountered as criminal jurisdiction is reshaped in eastern Oklahoma in the wake of last year’s momentous U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Chickasaw Nation says.
“While differences over historic rulings are to be expected, the Oklahoma Governor has sensationalized and exaggerated accounts of transitional challenges, which actions have heightened political concerns over the process and undermined faith in law,” the tribe told the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday in a legal brief.
“To be clear: The Oklahoma Governor’s overtly political rhetoric is unhelpful, misleading and divisive.”
Flickr / Blogtrepreneur
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed that the Cherokee Nation s reservation was never disestablished after Judge Gary L. Lumpkin dismissed charges against 47-year-old Travis Hogner, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma.
Hogner was charged for possessing a firearm after a felony within the Cherokee Nation. He will not be retried because the statute of limitations expired in his case.
Over the last few months, the Seminole Nation, Chickasaw Nation and the Choctaw Nation have all had their reservation boundaries affirmed. Several post-conviction relief cases involving felony defendants challenged the state s right to try their cases after last summer s landmark
Tulsa s Acting US Attorney, Cherokee Nation Work To Address New Cases After Tribal Jurisdiction Ruling thebulltulsa.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thebulltulsa.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.