OKLAHOMA CITY — A new lawsuit is filed against the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in federal court exactly one year after the nation's supreme court ruled it must grant full citizenship to proven descendants of Black freedmen.
- Previous coverage>>> Creek Freedmen ask MCN Supreme Court to pause elections until Freedmen are enrolled
“I am asking the federal court to require the Muscogee Creek Nation Citizenship Board to comply with their own supreme court ruling and to recognize the citizenship guaranteed to freedmen guaranteed under the 1866 treaty," plaintiff Rhonda Grayson said during a news conference announcing the lawsuit on July 23.
The plaintiff's legal team, represented by Damario Solomon-Simmons, said Muscogee principal chief David Hill have ignored their own court's ruling over the past year and have knowingly withheld citizenship to applicants of freedmen descent.
The lawsuit is filed in a Western District of Oklahoma federal court.
“The Creek Nation citizenship board has stated on numerous occasions that they have everything that they need to move forward," Solomon-Simmons said. But it’s Chief Hill who has inserted himself and has stopped this progress. And so, (the citizenship board) doesn’t want to override what the chief is saying so they’re ignoring what the court is saying. And that’s just not how our legal system works.”
Grayson, who's also president of Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, told 2 News more than 4,000 people from multiple states applied for citizenship since the tribal supreme court decision a year ago.
“And to fight and not be able to see the victory — even though we haven’t been accepted fully, cards haven’t been issued — the supreme court said we are citizens, it said we belong, and they still did not get to hear those words," Grayson said. "We essentially have spent 47 years disenfranchised from the nation of our ancestral birth, so I think it's horrific. It's terrible to be treated like second-class citizens."
Muscogee Nation responded to 2 News' request for comment later on July 23:
“We are committed to ensuring that the Muscogee Nation’s Constitution and laws are followed fairly and consistently. Getting policies right is always more important than getting them done quickly. Anything less would undermine the integrity of our governmental processes and the rights of our citizens.
We are aware of today’s press conference regarding the lawsuit. However, the Muscogee Nation has not yet been served with the complaint. Once we have been served and have had an opportunity to review the filing, we will respond through the appropriate legal process; however, we would point out that federal law and precedent is clear that matters of Muscogee Nation law and governance are to be addressed through the Nation’s own governmental institutions.”
Solomon-Simmons said there are an estimated 100,000 people who could be eligible for Muscogee Nation citizenship thanks to the 2025 tribal court ruling.
You can view the lawsuit's documents in full here.
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