Rumors of a potentially negative fix to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar have lobbyists in Washington, D.C., playing a cloak and dagger game.

In September, Cedric Cromwell, the chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, said he heard Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), the chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, was working on a fix that could hurt Indian interests. But no one has been able to confirm her involvement or find the language that she's reportedly working on -- although the rumor has ballooned and now includes the Interior Department.

“Sen. Feinstein definitely has something in the works and it appears that the high level Interior officials are involved. I just wish we knew exactly what it is,” Joe Valandra, a consultant who used to work for the National Indian Gaming Commission, told Indian Country Today.

ICT said neither Fenstein nor top Interior officials responded to requests for comment. But the paper said one lobbyist -- Wilson Pipestem of Ietan Consulting -- would neither confirm nor deny his involvement in drafting the rumored fix.

Get the Story:
Feinstein reportedly working with Interior on gaming proposal (Indian Country Today 11/16)

Interior Appropriations Bill:
Rep. Jim Moran Statement | Summary Table | Earmark List

Land-Into-Trust Fix:
S.1703 | H.R.3697 | H.R.3742

Supreme Court Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Thomas] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [Stevens] | Concurrence/Dissent [Souter]

Supreme Court Documents:
Oral Argument Transcript | Briefs

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