By Ben Morgan and FOX23.com News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — State officials are challenging tribal leaders’ claims that tribal members in eastern Oklahoma are no subject to state hunting laws.
FOX23 ealier reported three of Oklahoma’s largest tribes — the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations — filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Kevin Stitt, Special Prosecutor Russ Cochran, and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The tribes — back by state Attorney General Gentner Drummond — argue tribal citizens cannot be prosecuted for hunting or fishing on their reservations, citing federal law over state rules.
Back in October, Drummond dismissed a case against a Native American hunting on tribal land without a state permit.
Now state officials have filed federal court papers saying that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has enforced laws on all state lands, including those owned and managed by the state.
Governor Stitt says that state law must apply equally to everyone and that the court will decide whether the tribes’ legal arguments hold up.
“A foundational American value is that laws are applied equally to everyone, regardless of race,” said Governor Stitt. “The Attorney General is out of line in using his position to push a result that helps his political allies while hurting Oklahoma’s own interests and ignoring decades of responsible conservation.”
