Litigation | Openings & Closings

Judge skeptical in Cherokee Nation suit over UKB casino land

Monday, August 12, 2013

A federal judge heard five hours of arguments on Friday in a gaming dispute between the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Nation wants to prevent the Bureau of Indian Affairs from placing the site of the UKB's Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in trust. But Judge Gregory Frizzell expressed skepticism at the Cherokee's concerns, according to news reports.

“I have to tell you, after reading the briefs, I’m not thoroughly convinced,” Frizzell told an attorney for the Cherokees, The Native American Times reports.

The UKB needs trust status for the land or it will be forced to close the facility. “If this injunction is allowed, 150 people will be thrown out of work at the casino,” attorney Jim McMillin told the judge, the Times reported.

A decision on the Cherokee Nation's request for a temporary restraining order could come today. Turtle Talk has posted the briefs in the case, Cherokee Nation v. Jewell.

Get the Story:
Decision expected Monday in Cherokee Nation v UKB trust application injunction (The Native American Times 8/11)
Ruling on Cherokees' request for Keetoowah casino injunction expected Monday (The Tulsa World 8/10)