OKMULGEE, Okla. — More than two months after the Muscogee Nation’s Supreme Court said Freedmen are eligible for citizenship, their attorney is asking the court to step in and enforce its order.
In an Okmulgee church, nearly a dozen people gathered for the Muscogee Creek Freedmen Coalition meeting.
WATCH: Freedmen ask Supreme Court to enforce citizenship ruling
Ron Graham is Chairman of the Coalition. He’s applied for citizenship along with many of the people at the meeting.
Nearly 12 weeks since the Supreme Court ruling saying Freedmen were eligible and dozens of applications, they say they don’t have ID cards.
Local News
Muscogee Nation Supreme Court rules Freedmen are citizens
“It’s very frustrating,” said Graham. “The Supreme Court had a ruling. The treaty is the supreme law of the land.”
On Oct. 15, the group discussed new court documents as attorneys for the plaintiffs Rhonda Grayson and Jeff Kennedy ask for the Supreme Court to enforce its ruling.
The filing says in part, “The citizenship board’s continued failure to issue citizenship identification cards to Rhonda and Jeff is a willful and blatant violation of the court order.”
It comes after Muscogee Principal Chief David Hill issued an Executive Order pausing the board’s card issuance to Freedmen until their “law and policies have been reviewed and amended.”
Graham says he wants the nation to do the right thing.
“He just simply needs to comply with two things the treaty and ultimately the Supreme Court of the Creek Nation,” said Graham.
2 News reached out to the Muscogee Nation on Oct. 15.
The Muscogee Nation is committed to implementing all treaty obligations in a manner that is fair, transparent, and consistent with our Nation’s laws. We are developing code amendments to ensure that all individuals who may qualify under the Treaty of 1866 are treated equitably and with respect. Our government’s priority is to ensure that any determinations regarding citizenship are based on careful review, sound documentation, and responsible governance. The Nation’s Supreme Court has acknowledged that this process will take time, and we are proceeding with great care to uphold both the spirit and the letter of its decision.
I understand that some individuals may feel frustrated by the pace of this work. However, impatience cannot replace the careful deliberation and integrity required to carry out our Nation’s sovereign responsibilities. We remain steadfast in pursuing a process that honors our treaties and our duty to future generations.
For Graham and the Freedmen who are patiently waiting, they just want to reconcile like they’ve seen in the Cherokee Nation.
“He’s really brought that tribe together and they’re doing a lot of things,” said Graham. “They’re better that way much better that way.”
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