Spirit Lake Nation court blocks disputed chairman from offices

Thursday, August 1, 2013  

A judge for the Spirit Lake Nation of North barred disputed chairman Roger Yankton from entering tribal offices or contacting tribal council members, The Grand Forks Herald reports.

Earlier this month, Yankton was barred from taking office by the Northern Plains Intertribal Court of Appeals. But he tried to run a general assembly meeting on Tuesday, so council members secured a restraining order against him.

“I’m glad somebody finally confronted him. I don’t recognize him as chairman, and I’m not afraid of him," Myra Pearson, who served as chair before Yankton, told The Grand Forks Herald. She was at the general assembly meeting and said Yankton blamed her for the tribe's financial problems.

Yankton was removed by a vote of the tribal membership but quickly won a tribal court order reinstating him. The Northern Plains Intertribal Court of Appeals, however, said he couldn't take office pending resolution of the matter.

Get the Story:
Yankton barred from Spirit Lake tribal offices (The Grand Forks Herald 8/1)

Spirit Lake Nation without a leader after tribal court decision (07/19)
Appeals court bars Roger Yankton as Spirit Lake Nation chair (7/18)
Roger Yankton wins reinstatement as Spirit Lake Nation chair (7/17)
New chair of Spirit Lake Nation discusses social service woes (07/03)
Spirit Lake Nation chooses Russ McDonald as new chairman (7/2)
Spirit Lake Nation voters remove Roger Yankton as chairman (7/1)