The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has filed a lawsuit in the Davidson County Chancery Court against the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, arguing that it violated the state's Open Meetings Act when its members voted to grant trial recognition to six Native American groups on June 19, according to an article published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press on July 1. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the commission's action "void and without effect."
The groups recognized include: Chikamaka Band, Cherokee Wolf Clan, United Eastern Lenape Nation, Tanasi Council, Central Band of Cherokee and Remnant Yuchi Nation.
The groups contend that they are “remnant" tribes of Indians who successfully eluded the removal of Cherokees and others from the southeastern United States in the 19th century.
The suit argues that the groups are bogus, that they base their claims on "unreliable information." It also alleges that commissioners secretly discussed and deliberated on the action before their June 19 meeting, which, the article says, constitutes legal grounds to void the formal grants of recognition under the state's "Sunshine Law."
The complaint was filed on June 30, the commission's last day of existence.
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