Source: The Associated Press
On August 21, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "About a month after a lesbian couple successfully filed for a tribal marriage application, the Cherokee National Tribal Council voted to clearly define marriage as between a man and a woman. Principal Chief Chad Smith has indicated he will sign the measure, which was approved by the council Monday night. The change to tribal marriage law would not affect Kathy Reynolds and Dawn McKinley, who were married last month in a Cherokee ceremony. Cherokee Nation laws are not retroactive. A Cherokee Nation District Court has scheduled a hearing Friday to discuss a legal protest of McKinley's and Reynolds' marriage application. The outcome of that hearing will determine whether their union is legal."