© 2024 KGOU
News and Music for Oklahoma
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oklahoma Supreme Court Lifts Stay In Cherokee Girl Case

The seal of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation

The Oklahoma Supreme Court says it's declining to take jurisdiction over the adoption dispute involving a Cherokee girl and has dissolved a stay that was keeping the girl with her father in Oklahoma.

It wasn't immediately clear whether young Veronica would remain in the Cherokee Nation. The tribal court has found that Matt and Melanie Capobianco of South Carolina have no valid claim to the 4-year-old. The girl's father, Dusten Brown, claims federal law favors his keeping custody of the child, but the U.S. Supreme Court has said the Indian Child Welfare Act does not apply to the case.

Brown is a member of the Cherokee Nation. He's been fighting the Capobiancos for custody of Veronica for years. The South Carolina couple was finalized as her adoptive parents this summer.

___________________________

KGOU is a community-supported news organization and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online, or by contacting our Membership department.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
More News
Support nonprofit, public service journalism you trust. Give now.