St. Regis Mohawk Suit re: Delay in Fee to Trust Decision

In a case where the Department of Interior issued a FONSI in 2006 and the Governor of New York concurred in the trust acquisition (for gaming purposes) shortly thereafter, Secretary Kempthorne still has not taken action. So, the St. Regis Mohawk tribe sued, alleging that the only reason for the delay is Secretary Kempthorne’s “personal views opposing off-reservation gaming.

This will be an interesting case to watch.