Tribal Court Judgment Summaries for Oct. 21 and 28

On Oct. 12, Cameron Cooper, retail development specialist for the EBCI Commerce Department, gave Tribal Council an update on an economic development opportunity that could be a boon for the Cherokee economy and ecology through tapping in to a renewable resource. Cooper’s previous position was energy program coordinator for the tribe.

The Department of Justice announced on Thursday, Nov. 5 the first 10 tribes to participate in an initial User Feedback Phase of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program to provide federally recognized tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for both civil and criminal purposes.

Note: This is a schedule for Tribal Court, and defendants are scheduled to appear on the dates listed. It should be noted that the following defendants have only been charged with the crimes listed and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The per capita distribution for EBCI tribal members for December 2015 is more than $300 (before taxes) more than the December 2014 amount.

A resolution (Res. No. 47 – 2015) seeking Tribal Council to waive sovereign immunity in the pay raise lawsuit filed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for Justice & Accountability was killed during Annual Council on Thursday, Oct. 29.

The cigarette butt receptacles that are currently located outside of the Tribal Council House and the TOP Building will soon be removed.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) filed an amicus brief on Thursday, Oct. 22 calling on the United States Supreme Court to uphold the authority of tribes to exercise civil jurisdiction over non-Indians who sexually assault and abuse Native women and children on tribal lands.