Town of Aquinnah v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Cert Petition

Here:

Town of Aquinnah’s Cert Petition 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cert Petition

Question presented:

Whether the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a statute of general application, impliedly repealed other federal statutes that specifically subject Indian tribes to state restrictions on gaming, a question that has divided the courts of appeals.

Lower court materials here.

UPDATE:

Aquinnah Cert Opp

Reply

Ninth Circuit Argument Video in Appeals in Challenge to Ione Band Gaming Related Trust Acquisition

Here is the video in No Casino in Plymouth v. Zinke (briefs here).

Here is the video in County of Amador v. Dept. of Interior (briefs here).

Ninth Circuit Briefs in State of California v. Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel

Here:

Opening Brief

Answer Brief

Reply Brief

Case materials here.

Oral argument video here.

“Sault Tribe’s trust land application denied for Lansing casino”

Here.

If anyone has the denial letter, please send it along.

Here it is. And here:

2017-07-24 DOI Cason ltr to Sault Ste. Marie denying mandatory trust acqn

Ninth Circuit Briefs in Citizens for a Better Way v. Zinke

Here:

Opening Brief

Federal Response Brief

Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe Answer Brief

Reply

Related posts.

Tenth Circuit Holds NIGC Indian Lands Opinion Letters Not Final Agency Action

Here is the opinion in State of Kansas v. Zinke.

An excerpt:

The question in this case is whether a legal opinion letter issued by the Acting General Counsel of the National Indian Gaming Commission (“NIGC”) regarding the eligibility of Indian lands for gaming constitutes “final agency action” subject to judicial review. In response to a request from the Quapaw Tribe, the NIGC Acting General Counsel issued a legal opinion letter stating that the Tribe’s Kansas trust land was eligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (“IGRA”). The State of Kansas and the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Cherokee, Kansas, filed suit, arguing that the letter was arbitrary, capricious, and erroneous as a matter of law. The district court concluded that the letter did not constitute reviewable final agency action under IGRA or the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).

Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm. IGRA’s text, statutory scheme, legislative history, and attendant regulations demonstrate congressional intent to preclude judicial review of legal opinion letters. Further, the Acting General Counsel’s letter does not constitute final agency action under the APA because it has not determined any rights or obligations or produced legal consequences. In short, the letter merely expresses an advisory, non-binding opinion, without any legal effect on the status quo ante.

Briefs here.

Isleta Pueblo Sues New Mexico over Revenue Sharing

Here is the complaint in Pueblo of Isleta v. Martinez (D.N.M.):

Complaint

An excerpt:

The Plaintiffs seek a declaration, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201, that the Defendants’ ongoing effort under the 2015 Tribal-State Gaming Compacts with the State of New Mexico (“2015 Compact”) to require each Pueblo to retroactively treat all free play credits used on Gaming Machines as revenue for purposes of calculating State revenue sharing payments under the 2007 Tribal-State Gaming Compacts with the State of New Mexico (“2007 Compact”) violates federal law.

Spokane County Sues to Stop Spokane Tribe Casino

Here is the complaint in Spokane County v. Dept. of Interior (E.D. Wash.):

Complaint

An excerpt:

Spokane County, Washington (“County”) brings this action seeking review of and relief from a June 15, 2015 decision by the Department of the Interior (“Department”) approving a proposal by the Spokane Tribe of Indians to build its third casino directly below Fairchild Air Force Base’s (“Fairchild AFB”) VFR traffic pattern for Fairchild’s primary runway. The Department’s determination that this casino will not be detrimental to the surrounding community violates federal statutes governing such decisions, overrides the opposition of the vast majority of officials elected to represent the interests of the surrounding community, is belied by the record evidence and long-standing agency policy, and defies basic common sense.

DOI Consultation Notice on DOI Reorganization

Download(PDF): Tribal Listening Sessions on E.O. 13871: Reorganization of the Executive Branch

Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Michael S. Black, invites Tribal leaders to attend one of the listed listening sessions to provide input on improving “efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability” at the Department of the Interior.

DATES

Sixth Circuit Materials in Saginaw Chippewa Effort to Intervene in Bay Mills Indian Community v. Snyder

Here:

Saginaw Chippewa Motion to Expedite

Michigan Response

CA6 Order Denying Motion to Expedite

Saginaw Chippewa Opening Brief

BMIC Answer Brief

Michigan Answer Brief

SCIT Reply

Lower court materials here.