Tohono O'odham Nation sues Arizona over land annexation law

Friday, February 11, 2011  

The Tohono O'odham Nation has sued the state of Arizona over a new law aimed at stopping the tribe's off-reservation casino.

The law allows the city of Glendale to annex the tribe's land without the tribe's consent. Annexation would apparently prevent the Bureau of Indian Affairs from placing the land in trust.

The tribe says an act of Congress that settled its land claim trumps the state law. The federal law requires the tribe's land to be in an "unincorporated" area.

The BIA has already agreed to take some land in trust for the tribe but only those portions that have not been annexed by Glendale. The city and the Gila River Indian Community are suing to block the acquisition, with a hearing in federal court set for February 17.

Get the Story:
Tribe sues Arizona over anti-casino law (The Phoenix Business Journal 2/11)

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