Cherokee Nation's former Attorney General Sara Hill will be the first Native American woman to serve as a federal judge in Oklahoma.
The United States Senate confirmed Hill on the floor Tuesday afternoon by a vote of 52 to 14. She will be just the eighth Native American federal judge in United States history and will work out of the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford voted in favor of her nomination, while Sen. Markwayne Mullin – a Cherokee citizen who had supported Hill – was absent as he dealt with what was described as an “urgent family matter,” to a reporter.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. praised Hill’s appointment in a statement.
“Sara Hill earned bipartisan support, and support from an array of thoughtful individuals and organizations across the country, for the same reason Cherokee leaders placed so much confidence in her,” Hoskin said. “She is a brilliant attorney with a commitment to public service, fairness, justice and the rule of law.”
Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt had been running a behind the scenes campaign in an effort to tank Hill’s nomination, per reporting by The Washington Examiner.
In a statement to the publication, Stitt said he had “serious concerns,” about Hill’s nomination.
"Is the best choice an attorney general of a tribal government who has spent a great deal of time and resources actively suing the State of Oklahoma in an effort to overturn 116 years of Statehood and working to strip the state of our authority to enforce laws?" Stitt said in his written statement.
Oklahoma’s Senators, though, remained supportive of Hill’s nomination. Hoskin praised senators for ignoring the move in opposition, "inexplicably led by," Stitt.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
