Stitt renews push to limit Tribal Sovereignty

OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt used his final State of the State address to again call for limiting tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma, arguing the state should have sole authority over criminal and taxation laws — a position that immediately drew sharp rebukes from tribal leaders in attendance.

Stitt told lawmakers that “Oklahoma’s laws should apply to every Oklahoman without exception,” adding that the state must “choose” whether it believes in equal rights. His comments were a direct reference to the jurisdictional landscape reshaped by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling, which reaffirmed that much of eastern Oklahoma remains reservation land.

Stitt said the current system creates “different sets of laws” for Native and non Native residents, a characterization tribal leaders say is inaccurate.

Tribal leaders say Stitt is misrepresenting sovereignty

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said in a statement that Stitt “misrepresents the relationship between tribes and the state,” noting that tribal sovereignty is grounded in treaties and federal law, not race. “Gov. Stitt must recognize this history and respect what it means today,” Batton said.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. called Stitt’s position “antiquated,” saying the governor’s remarks amounted to an effort “to erode some of the most meaningful attributes that are left of tribal sovereignty.” Hoskin said Stitt’s approach “really amounts to termination,” adding that the governor has become “the most anti Indian tribe governor in the history of the state.”

Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill said tribes expected Stitt to continue attacking sovereignty, but criticized the governor’s reference to the 1889 Land Run as “unassigned lands.” Hill said the Land Run “should not be aspirational,” adding that “if you read the history, that’s when more land was taken away from Native people.”

State lawmakers also push back

Oklahoma House Tribal and External Affairs Leader Scott Fetgatter, a Republican from Okmulgee, said Stitt “chose to exacerbate the divide” rather than repair relationships with tribes. House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson called the governor’s remarks “extremely disturbing,” saying Stitt “does not understand the history of our country and our state, and does not respect tribal sovereignty.”

Stitt continues opposition to McGirt

Stitt, a Cherokee Nation citizen, has spent years challenging the McGirt ruling in court and in public statements. On Monday, he said the decision continues to “split our state, both literally and figuratively,” and urged lawmakers to “fight for one Oklahoma.”

Tribal leaders in the chamber did not join the applause.

Hoskin said afterward that he had hoped Stitt would learn more about tribal nations during his tenure. “You don’t often see a leader who actually seems to have a lower knowledge base… than when he started,” Hoskin said. “But I am his chief, and I’d love him to listen to me.”

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