A tribal court on Wednesday set aside the results of an April recall election of Stockbridge-Munsee President Robert Chicks and cancelled a special election that had been set for Saturday.
The court granted a temporary restraining order and injunction, and called on the Recall Elections Board to set a new recall election by the end of August.
The decision would seem to effectively return Chick to the office of president for the time being, but that question is still not resolved, Tribal Secretary Jerilyn Johnson said Thursday afternoon.
She said there were meetings going on with the tribe’s legal team, but for now Vice President Wallace Miller was still acting president.
Chicks was removed from office as a result of an April 28 recall election by a vote of 224-128.
Chicks subsequently asked the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Court to set aside the recall results, saying he had never formally been presented with any recall notice and learned about the recall effort through newspaper reports.
The court ruled that proper notice of the recall effort did not take place and Chicks was denied an opportunity to be heard on the issue.
The tribal court’s order did not void the recall petition, however. Instead, the court ordered that Chicks receive a copy of the recall petition “as soon practicable, but no later than within seven calendar days.” The court said that, ideally, the petition should be delivered personally.
The court also said Chicks “shall have the opportunity to exercise his voice in the political arena pending the recall election.”
The Recall Election Board was ordered to hold an election within 30 days from the service of the recall petition upon Chicks, but also said the election shall occur no later than Aug. 30.
The recall effort sprang from charges filed against Chicks in Langlade County. Chicks faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer after allegedly giving a false name when pulled over by police in Antigo on Jan. 10. Chicks also is charged with misdemeanor theft for allegedly using a tribal credit card to post his bond, and a misdemeanor count of bail jumping for missing a Feb. 18 court appearance.
Chicks is scheduled for a status conference on the charges on Oct. 7 in Langlade County Circuit Court and a jury trial on the obstruction charge Oct. 23.
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