NCLR represents Kathy Reynolds and Dawn McKinley, a same-sex couple who are members of the Cherokee Nation. In May 2004, Reynolds and McKinley obtained a marriage certificate from the Cherokee Nation and married shortly thereafter. The next month, another member of the Cherokee Nation filed a petition seeking to invalidate Reynolds and McKinley’s marriage. NCLR successfully defended Reynolds and McKinley before the Cherokee high court. Two days later, various members of the Cherokee...
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Cherokee
Holds that Tribal Council Members Lack Standing to Challenge Couple’s Marriage (Tahlequah, OK, January 4, 2006) — In a ruling issued on December 22, 2005, the Judicial Appeals Tribunal of the Cherokee Nation, the highest Cherokee court, rejected an attempt by several tribal council members to invalidate the marriage of Cherokee citizens Kathy Reynolds and Dawn McKinley, who are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). The Court held that the council members, who are...