Attorney General spokesman on state Supreme Court decision in lawsuit concerning invalid compacts
OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 22, 2025) – A spokesman for Attorney General Gentner Drummond made the following remarks today after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the Attorney General can represent the interests of the state in Cherokee Nation, et al v. United States Department of the Interior, et al.
“Attorney General Drummond had argued he has statutory authority to advocate for the interests of the state, and we are pleased that the state Supreme Court today affirmed that stance. This lawsuit, which has squandered state resources over four-plus years, is the result of unlawful gaming compacts orchestrated by the Governor,” said Phil Bacharach, the Attorney General’s communications director.
The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Citizen Potawatomi and Choctaw nations filed the federal lawsuit after Gov. Stitt proceeded with revised gaming compacts his office had reached with four other tribes despite his lacking legislative authority to do so.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court twice ruled the compacts were invalid, but Gov. Stitt still submitted them to the federal government for approval. Notwithstanding the state Supreme Court’s decision that they are invalid, the Governor has argued that the compacts were effectively approved by the Department of the Interior when that agency failed to take any action.