FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chief Judge Roger Wiley Receives the Judicial Excellence Award
OKMULGEE, Okla.— On October 24, 2023, Chief Judge Roger Wiley of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court was presented with the Judicial Excellence Award by the National American Indian Court Judges Association (“NAICJA”). The award banquet took place at the NAICJA 54th Annual National Tribal Judicial and Court Personnel Conference at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The award recognizes excellence and dedication in the courtroom, which Chief Judge Wiley possesses with his background as a litigator, a prosecutor, and as a judge. Chief Judge Wiley has 38 years of experience practicing law and counseling tribal governments, local governments, election boards, and citizens.
Chief Judge Wiley is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (1978) and the New Mexico School of Law (1985). He began his career at the Stipe Law Firm and went on to become a prosecutor for the Taos County District Attorney’s Office in New Mexico. He also served as the City of McAlester Prosecutor from 1995-2022 and a Judge for the City of Krebs (2016-2022).
He was first appointed to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court in 1995, where he served for 10 years and was also on the Board of Directors for the NAICJA. He served as the Attorney General for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for three separate Tribal Administrations, which makes him the longest serving Attorney General ever. He has also been extremely active in Indian Country, serving as a Judge at the Chickasaw Code of Federal Regulations Court, Tribal Court (1999-2002), District Court Judge for the Chickasaw Nation (1999-2002), Supreme Court Justice at the Seminole Nation (2015-2022), and Supreme Court Justice for the Quapaw Nation (2018-Current). He has also served on a federally sponsored Tribal Court Assessment Team that helps to determine the needs of Tribal Courts around the country. He has also been involved in many very prominent Indian Law cases such as McGirt v. Oklahoma, Dollar General v. Mississippi Choctaw, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation v. Kialegee Tribal Town. As the Chief Judge of the District Court, Justice Wiley has led the effort to expand the resources, the staff, and the dockets of the District Court to meet the growing demands of the Court that have resulted from the historic McGirt decision of the United States Supreme Court.
The District Court is extremely proud of Chief Judge Wiley and the recognition that he has received for his hard work and accomplishments over his distinguished career in law. He has served his local community and Indian Country very well and the District Court staff look forward to continuing to work with him on his vision of making the Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court a model Tribal Court.
###