U.S. Justice Department removes state water case from Oklahoma Supreme Court

Gov. Mary Fallin and her staff are examining the legal briefs filed by the Justice Department and are conferring with attorneys, a governor's spokesman said late Monday.

The Chickasaw and Choctaw nations claim the water rights were granted to them in the 1830s through a series of treaties with the federal government and that any removal of water is in direct violation of federal law.

The two tribes filed a water rights lawsuit of their own last year in federal court in Oklahoma City.

“Removal will facilitate resolution of the common federal questions underlying both actions, thereby conserving judicial resources,” the Justice Department attorney wrote.