Lawsuit filed to stop Cowlitz Tribe casino land-into-trust application

Tuesday, February 1, 2011  

A lawsuit was filed in federal court to stop the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington from opening a casino.

The plaintiffs are Clark County, the city of Vancouver, two property owners, an anti-gaming group and four non-Indian card clubs. They say the Bureau of Indian Affairs failed to consider the environmental impacts of the proposed Cowlitz Casino Resort and ignored the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

The BIA's record of decision stated that the Cowlitz were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934 -- a key issue in the Supreme Court case -- even though the tribe didn't gain formal federal recognition until 2000.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. The same court is hearing similar lawsuit involving a Michigan tribe whose federal recognition wasn't finalized until 1998.

Any appeals would go to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which reinstated the Michigan land-into-trust lawsuit last month.

Get the Story:
County files appeal of Cowlitz trust decision (The Columbian 2/1)
Vancouver, private groups join Clark County in Cowlitz casino appeal (The Oregonian 2/1)

Related Stories:
Litigation expected to delay Cowlitz casino by at least 18 months (1/28)
Land-into-trust issues cloud gaming plans for at least two tribes (1/25)
Editorial: County made right call to challenge Cowlitz Tribe casino (1/21)
County votes to file lawsuit against Cowlitz Tribe casino approval (1/13)
County considers possible appeal against Cowlitz Tribe casino bid (1/12)
Mohegan Tribe welcomes land-into-trust ruling on Cowlitz casino (1/11)
BIA decision on Cowlitz casino resolves land-into-trust questions (1/7)
BIA approves land-into-trust application for Cowlitz Tribe casino (12/23)