Oklahoma tribes file federal lawsuit over agreement with Governor Stitt
Four Oklahoma tribes have filed a lawsuit requesting a federal court to void gaming compacts between the state and two other tribes.
The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Citizen Potawatomie Nations have filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington D.C, asking for the agreements signed by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and the Comanche Nation, and Otoe-Missouria Tribe, to be voided.
Stitt signed a new gaming compact with the two tribes in April, which would also have allowed for sports wagering. This agreement was signed despite Stitt being at loggerheads with the rest of the tribes in Oklahoma.
However, Oklahoma’s high court ruled in July that Stitt had overstepped his authority.
Attorneys for the tribes said in a statement: “While the Oklahoma Supreme Court has declared those agreements invalid under Oklahoma law, their validity under federal law must also be addressed to avoid damage to the integrity of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.”
Matthew Morgan, chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, said: “As we have stated from the beginning, Governor Stitt never had the legal authority to enter into these gaming agreements.
“It is sad Governor Stitt has placed the tribal governments in this position.”
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