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Tahlequah, OK - The Chief Justice of the Judicial Appeals Tribunal (JAT), Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO), Philip Viles Jr., temporarily suspended an order handed down by the CNO's District Court. The suspension of the order, is based on an appeal filed by Attorney Diane Blalock on behalf of 6 CNO Council members, who have been boycotting meetings. The appeal concerned a ruling by the lower court that the boycotting council members must attend meetings. Justice Viles has scheduled a hearing on the appeal for June 18, Friday at 3:15 p.m.

A petition had been filed in the District Court by seven CNO council members, to force six boycotting members of the council to attend meetings. The meetings have been boycotted by six of the 15 council members because of an agenda that they feel would destroy the CNO's judicial system. One of the 15 council members has chosen to take a neutral stance on the matter.

Chief Joe Byrd was seemingly overjoyed by the lower courts ruling and said that it was "nothing more than what we hoped for, that everyone would come together and take care of the business of the Cherokee Nation." Judge John Cripps, appointed to the District Court by Byrd, heard the case. Byrd, disappointed by the suspension of the ruling, said, "Once again it is the Cherokee people and the nation that are being hurt."

According to Diane Blalock, attorney for the boycotting council members, the appeal stated that they had been ordered to attend council meetings "regardless of the agenda." Blalock said that the appeal also stated that, had past meetings been attended "the judicial branch of the Cherokee Nation would no longer exist and millions of dollars in fuel tax collected for the benefit of Cherokee citizens would have been misspent." Much of the CNO's annual budget, of over $140 million, comes from federal funds by way of the U.S. Department of Interior.

The council meeting scheduled for last Monday night was again boycotted by 6 of 15 council members leaving the council with no quorum. The CNO Constitution requires a quorum, 10 of 15 council members to be in attendance, in order for the council to conduct official business.