Cherokee Nation District Court Judge T. Luke Barteaux sworn-in for another term

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -Cherokee Nation District Court Judge T. Luke Barteaux was sworn in to another term this week by Supreme Court Justice Tina Glory Jordan.

"We need Judge Barteaux in the years ahead of us because of his remarkable sense of justice and fairness," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. "Since the Hogner case was handed down five years ago, we have had a remarkable 25,000 charges filed. In the years ahead of us, there will be more cases that come with more challenges and as long as we have Judge T. Luke Barteaux at the bench, we will continue to succeed."

Barteaux was reappointed with a 16-0 vote during the March meeting of the Council of the Cherokee Nation.

"The council is in full support of Judge Barteaux. He's an amazing guy who has done such a great job on the bench. We look forward to another four years of him being the fair judge we know he is," said Speaker of the Council Johnny Jack Kidwell.

Barteaux has served as a judge for the Cherokee Nation District Court since May 2017, when he was sworn in to complete the unexpired term of the late Cherokee Nation District Judge Bart Fite. Barteaux's new term will continue until March 2030.

"I am appreciative that Chief and the council remain faithful in me to run the district court, and I want to thank them for continuously providing funding for mental health and drug abuse treatment. This really helps the court combat the correlation between those issues and crime that we see every day in court," Barteaux said.

Barteaux was awarded the 2025 Judge Stephen S. Goss Award from the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI) for his work to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health needs who are involved with the criminal justice system.

His swearing-in ceremony coincided with the five-year anniversary of Hogner v. State, which was decided by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on March 11, 2021. This Cherokee Nation court case reaffirmed the tribe's reservation based on the U.S. Supreme Court McGirt decision.