The Cherokee Nation is going straight to federal court to dispute a decision that allows the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians to keep its casino open.

Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree previously said the tribe would file a challenge with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals. But he's now planning to file a lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs prior to a September 7 deadline.

“As I said before, the BIA decision is a political decision. Now we will enter into the legal courts to which our position is rock solid," Hembree told The Cherokee Phoenix.

The BIA published a notice in the Federal Register on August 7, announcing its decision to approve a land-into-trust application for the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino.

The BIA determined that the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band can both exercise jurisdiction within the original Cherokee Reservation.

Get the Story:
Hembree to appeal UKB casino trust land (The Cherokee Phoenix 8/23)

Federal Register Notice:
Land Acquisitions; United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma (August 7, 2012)

Related Stories:
Federal Register notice for United Keetoowah Band casino land (8/7)