"Gov. George Pataki had no choice but to back off an overly aggressive plan to site five casinos in the Catskills region. It should not have taken a court ruling on the broader question of Indian sovereign territory for the governor to rethink his strategy.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled an Indian tribe could not expand its territory merely by purchasing former reservation lands and declaring them sovereign and, therefore, tax-exempt. The ruling casts doubt on the validity of the governor's plan to settle five land claims with some out-of-state tribes that would run the new casinos in Sullivan County."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Casino decision holds promise (The Poughkeepsie Journal 4/25)