After months of threatening litigation, a lawsuit has been filed in Cherokee Tribal Court on the issue of the disputed pay raises approved by Tribal Council last fall. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for Justice & Accountability (EBCIJA) filed the suit on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

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.

U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), praised the proposed appointment of Sequoyah Simermeyer to serve as an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).

Special Tribal Council Session Results – Wednesday, Sept. 30

The North Carolina Network of Grantmakers’ annual Foundation Fair was held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort in the Council Fire Ballrooms on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Last week, the Cherokee Indian Fair Committee announced their selections of the Grand Marshals of the Cherokee Indian Fair Parade set for Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The Department of Justice announced 206 awards, totaling more than $97 million, to American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, tribal consortia and tribal designees on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Among those awardees is the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians which is set to receive $1,369,447 in two grants.

Cherokee Tribal Court hosted Judge Rick Walker, the Chief District Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District, and a group of state and tribal magistrates for a half-day training session on recent changes in tribal and state criminal jurisdiction on Tuesday, Sept. 15.