Muscogee (Creek) Freedmen this week asked the tribal nation’s Supreme Court to enforce its ruling granting them citizenship after the nation’s executive orders have prevented the issuing of new citizenship cards.
“In issuing (the executive order), Chief (David) Hill has overstepped, encroaching on the Citizenship Board’s independence, violating his duty to uphold the law, and usurping the court’s authority,” the filing reads.
It comes nearly three months after a July 23 ruling granted full citizenship to the descendants of people who were enslaved by the tribe. The July ruling also overturned the nation’s “by-blood” requirement, which served as a basis to deny Freedmen citizenship applications.
Attorneys filed their latest suit on behalf of Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey Kennedy — the plaintiffs whose citizenship applications were denied by the citizenship board in 2019, resulting in a yearslong legal battle.
About a month after the July ruling, Principal Chief Hill issued an executive order telling the tribe’s citizenship office to continue receiving applications from Freedmen descendants, but to not give out citizenship ID cards until “all law and policy” were amended from the Article II treaty of 1866.
In its Tuesday filing, attorneys for Grayson and Kennedy called Hill’s order a “blatant violation” of the court’s order that “cannot be tolerated.”
“That executive order is what holds those cards,” said Ron Graham, chairman of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen Coalition. “They just need to comply with the court order and the Treaty of 1866 Article II. But he is not doing either one of them.”
In a statement to the Flyer, Muscogee (Creek) Nation press secretary Jason Salsman said the nation is carefully reviewing the citizenship matter.
“We are developing code amendments to ensure that all individuals who may qualify under the Treaty of 1866 are treated equitably and with respect,” Salsman said. “Our government’s priority is to ensure that any determinations regarding citizenship are based on careful review, sound documentation, and responsible governance.”
Salsman said the process will take time but stressed “impatience cannot replace the careful deliberation and integrity required to carry out our Nation’s sovereign responsibilities.”
The tension has also spilled into Tulsa affairs. Graham on Wednesday asked Tulsa city councilors to stop a vote transferring ownership of two city parks to the nation until the citizenship rights issue is settled.
However, the council unanimously approved the land swap, with council chair Phil Lakin saying Freedmen concerns “were outside of the purview” of their vote.
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