Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wants to join the Wyandotte Nation off-reservation casino lawsuit.

The tribe sued the Obama administration in July for failing to approve its land-into-trust application. Schmidt filed papers to join the case today.

“The State contends that the federal government’s land trust obligations to the Wyandotte Nation were fulfilled by the tribe’s facility in Kansas City, Kan.,” Schmidt said in a press release. “We have petitioned the court to allow Kansas to join in this case to ensure the State’s sovereign interests are protected.”

The tribe acquired 10.5 acres in Park City, Kansas, through a land claim settlement. The law mandates that the Interior Department place the site in trust.

However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has failed to take action. The tribe's application has been pending since January 2009.

Generally, land acquired after 1988 can't be used for gaming. But an exception in Section 20(b)(1)(B)(i) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows tribes to open casinos in connection with a land claim settlement.

The Wyandotte Nation is only one of two tribes in the history of IGRA to successfully utilize the land claim exception. The tribe operates a casino in downtown Kansas City and won numerous court decisions against the state of Kansas, other Kansas tribes and the federal government.

Get the Story:
State seeks to join lawsuit to block Park City tribal casino (The Wichita Eagle 9/21)
Kansas AG moves to block Park City casino (Wichita Business Journal 9/21)

Related Stories:
Wyandotte Nation sues over off-reservation casino application (7/29)
Kansas officials oppose Wyandotte Nation off-reservation casino (9/28)
Editorial: Wyandotte Nation not connected to Kansas casino site (9/13)
Wyandotte Nation adds to land for off-reservation casino in Kansas (9/8)
Wyandotte Nation confident for second out-of-state casino bid (7/2)