Vol. 105, No. 96 | Tuesday, July 15, 2014 A Daily Journal of Commerce Since 1909 www.tulsabusiness.com | $1.

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DAI LY BRI EFS
8
9
5
4
0
1
0
0
1
2
5
7
CROWE & DUNLEVY
TOP RANKED IN CHAMBERS
USA DIRECTORY
Crowe & Dunlevy received top rank-
ing in the annual Chambers USA Di-
rectory.
Crowe & Dunlevy was the only Okla-
homa law rm ranked in Band 1 by
Chambers and Partners in the annual
Chambers USA Directory.
This is the highest ranking, in all
seven major areas of legal practice
in Oklahoma: corporate/commercial,
energy and natural resources, intellec-
tual property, labor and employment,
litigation, Native American law and
real estate.
In addition, 35 attorneys were
honored as leaders in their respec-
tive practice area.
Eleven Crowe & Dunlevy attorneys
received Band 1 rankings including:
LeAnne Burnett (energy and natu-
ral resources: environment), Leon-
ard Court (labor and employment),
John J. Grifn Jr. (energy and natural
resources), James H. Holloman Jr.
(corporate/commercial: tax), Mi-
chael S. Laird (real estate), Clyde A.
Muchmore (litigation: general com-
mercial), Karen S. Rieger (corporate/
commercial: healthcare), Roger A.
See Briefs, 2
INDEX
Civil Court . . . . . . . . . . 4
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2014 Community Publishers, Inc.
Sovereign immunity challenge nixed
U.S. Supreme Court rules that Congress, not courts should make changes
Changes in sovereign immunity for
Native American tribes are the responsi-
bility of the U.S. Congress, not state or
federal state courts.
With that 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme
Court rebuffed the challenge in the Bay
Mills case on that issue by the State of
Michigan and related briefs filed by at-
torney generals from a number of states,
including Oklahoma.
That ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court
rebuffed efforts by the State of Michigan
to take away that provision set in the U.S.
Constitution.
Dean Luthey, chair of the GableGot-
wals Native American Law section and a
partner with the firm, said the decision
ensures that tribal immunity will con-
tinue even though there might be future
attempts to change that status.
The recent 5-4 Supreme Court deci-
sion was important because Chief Justice
John Roberts voted with Associate Jus-
tice Elena Kagan in the majority opin-
ion, he said. The justices used the U.S.
vs Wheeler case in making that decision.
They went through great lengths to ex-
plain tribal rights that Native Americans
have enjoyed since that decision in 1978.
Powerful people at various levels, busi-
ness, government and individuals, want
sovereign immunity reduced even further
or eliminated in what was referred to in
the past as assimilation into the culture,
Luthey said. Someone would have to as
BY RALPH SCHAEFER
ralphs@tulsabusiness.com
PHOTO BY RALPH SCHAEFER
Dean Luthey, chair of the GableGotwals Native American Law section and a partner with the rm. See Sovereign, 2