CA7 Remands Wisconsin & Ho-Chunk Nation Gaming Revenue Sharing Dispute

The Seventh Circuit remanded (again) the dispute over the revenue sharing provisions of the Class III gaming compact between the State of Wisconsin and the Ho-Chunk Nation.

CA7 Opinion

The briefs are here:

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Foxwoods to Challenge Union Vote

From the New London Day:

NLRB Set To Hear Challenge Of Foxwoods’ Union

Testimony starts Tuesday during Hartford hearing

It is a contentious battle, which pits an Indian tribe that operates one of the most successful casinos in the world against one of the largest unions in North America.

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NYTs on Decline of Gaming in the Catskills

From the NYTs:

In the Catskills, Wondering if Casinos’ Time Has Passed

The slot-machine casino in Monticello was nearly empty on Wednesday afternoon.

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Velie and Velie v. Onnam & True Native American Gaming (W.D. Okla.)

A case involving the collection of attorney fees from a gaming developer.

Amended Complaint and Exhibits

Motion to Dismiss

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Freemanville Water System v. Poarch Band of Creek Indians (S.D. Ala.)

This is tribal sovereign immunity case. The district court granted the tribe’s motion to dismiss. Here are the materials:

Complaint

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Quiet Opening for Saganing Casino

From the Grand Rapids Press:

Standish casino has quiet opening

STANDISH – It opened with little fanfare: no billboards, no advertisements, not even an announcement on the Web site. Just some spotlights, shining in the night from the quiet darkness.

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Lac Vieux Desert Off-Reservation Gaming Proposal (Muskegon) — News Coverage

More coverage from the Kalamazoo Gazette and the Muskegon Chronicle. The Chronicle’s coverage denotes significant skepticism:

Obstacles piled high as tribes consider casino

The standing-room-only crowd at the casino presentation by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians left Muskegon City Hall on Monday night wondering whether the western Upper Peninsula tribe’s proposal was realistic.

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Department of Interior Changes Fee-to-Trust Process

Last week, the Department of Interior rejected fee-to-trust applications for eleven tribes . Matthew has linked to the rejection letters elsewhere on this site. In rejecting these applications, the DoI has changed the method by which it will review all fee-to-trust applications under 25 C.F.R. Part 151. On January 3rd, Assistant Secretary of Interior Carl Artman , issued a letter to the BIA’s Regional Directors that established that all future applications will be subjected to a “commutable distance” test. In other words, if a tribe seeks to have land placed into trust, even for non-gaming economic development purposes, it must be within a distance where tribal citizens on the existing reservation can reasonably commute to jobs at the site. This had previously not been the case.

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Lac Vieux Desert Off-Reservation Gaming Proposal (Muskegon)

From Indianz:

Lac Vieux Band seeks off-reservation casino

The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is seeking an off-reservation casino in Muskegon, Michigan.

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Foxworthy Case in WA COA — Dram Shop Actions and Tribal Immunity — Wash SCt Petition

The Plaintiff has petitioned the State Supreme Court for review.

I don’t have a copy of the Plaintiff’s new petition (assuming there is one), but the petition she filed in October of 2006 is posted in the first message in this thread. The Tribe’s Answer to the Petition for Review (filed in mid-December) is available here.

Our previous posts with lower court materials are here and here.