Appeal dropped in Sault Ste. Marie casino case

Friday, January 16, 2009  

The federal government has dropped its appeal of a gaming case involving the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan.

The tribe spent $41 million on the Kewadin Shores Casino but the National Indian Gaming Commission said the site didn't qualify under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The land was taken into trust after 1988, the year IGRA became law.

A federal judge disagreed, noting that the casino site is adjacent to land that was already in trust prior to 1988. The Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal but withdrew it this week, the Associated Press reported.

Get the Story:
Legal threat to Indian tribe's Mich. casino over (AP 1/15)