N. Cheryl Hamby was confirmed as Attorney General for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians during a regularly-scheduled Tribal Council meeting on Jan. 8.

Hamby’s confirmation marks a significant historic milestone for the Tribe, as she is the first MBCI Tribal member to serve as Attorney General.

“I am very proud of this accomplishment for our Tribe and for Mrs. Hamby as we work together to educate and promote our Tribal members into professional level positions,” Tribal Chief Phyliss J. Anderson said in a news release. 

Hamby has an extensive legal and medical background. She is a licensed attorney and served as Assistant Attorney General for the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for seven years. She also worked in the medical field for many years as a registered nurse prior to entering law school.

Hamby holds a Law Degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, now known as Texas A & M School of Law and has studied Federal Indian Law at the University of Tulsa School of Law.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. Over her more than 14 years in the legal profession, Hamby has been admitted to practice in the MBCI Tribal Courts and is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, United States Supreme Court Bar Association, Federal Northern District of Oklahoma Bar Association, Federal Eastern District of Oklahoma Bar Association, and Cherokee Nation Bar Association.

Hamby is no stranger to the Tribe’s Office of the Attorney General, as she served as Assistant Attorney General for three years prior to being appointed as Acting Attorney General by Chief Anderson before her now-confirmed role as Attorney General.