US supports Keith Stitt's appeal on tribal jurisdiction in speeding ticket dispute

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The United States has filed an amicus brief in support of Governor Kevin Stitt's brother, Keith Stitt, in his appeal of a speeding ticket he received in February 2021.

Keith Stitt, a Cherokee Nation Citizen, was written a speeding ticket while on the Muscogee Nation Reservation, but instead of the citation being handled by a tribal court, he was sent to Tulsa's Municipal Court.

Stitt's attorney, Brett Chapman, explains that the issue boils down to honoring the laws surrounding tribal jurisdiction.

"We had filed challenges based on jurisdiction to dismiss to get the ticket transferred over to Muscogee Nation, which is the court of proper jurisdiction but those were unsuccessful and so now we’re on a direct criminal appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals," Chapman said.

Following months of appeals, the United States filed an amicus brief listing past cases of a similar nature in support of Keith Stitt.

“He’s not trying to skirt the rules based on race or anything like that. I mean, this is a serious issue of jurisdictional questions that have a lot of importance to indigenous nations," said Chapman.

Governor Kevin Stitt, not siding with his brother, released a statement saying:

Public safety is at stake here. The Tulsa police need to be able to enforce the laws and keep their communities safe. Having no closure after the Hooper case, communities in eastern Oklahoma need assurance that there is one set of rules, regardless of race or heritage. The City of Tulsa is right. Their opposition is not. And maybe Keith shouldn’t speed.

Chapman told NewsChannel 8 that the issue at hand is more than just trying to get out of a traffic ticket.

“You’re seeing other jurisdictions, maybe not the City of Tulsa, but other ones corporate on the spirit of McGirt here, and these cases are being prosecuted so there’s no jurisdictional hole here on this it’s nothing like that," said Chapman.

Now Chapman says they are waiting to hear from the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to know what will happen next.