At their October quarterly meeting, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Tribes, composed of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Muscogee, Seminole and Choctaw Nations, voted unanimously to support the retention of Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices Noma Gurich, Yvonee Kauger and James Edmondson.
“We are proud to be Oklahomans and citizens of our nations and strive to partner effectively and collaboratively between our nations and the State of Oklahoma’s leadership,” the endorsement said. “We also believe in electing and appointing leaders in Oklahoma’s state government who are also good partners to work collaboratively with our sovereign tribal governments.”
Historically, the justices have ruled in favor of tribal issues. Earlier this year, they ruled on Stitt v. Treat, a case in which Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt attempted to strike down a tribal compact extension passed by state legislators. The justices unanimously ruled against Stitt, ultimately granting the tribes an extension on their compact agreements.
The support comes as the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs is lobbying to change the judicial selection process. The OCPA accuses Kauger, Edmondson and Gurich of being “activist, liberal” judges.
All three were appointed by former Democratic governors Brad Henry and George Nigh.
People of Opportunity, a group tied to OCPA, spent thousands of dollars in targeted television advertising against the justices. Additionally, the OCPA launched a scorecard ranking the justices based on how they’ve voted in prior cases.
If the justices are not retained, Stitt would select their replacements.
