Casino Stalker | Litigation

Mixed rulings in Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Tohono O'odham Nation has won one ruling in state court and lost another in federal court for its bid for an off-reservation casino.

The tribe won a critical Arizona Court of Appeals ruling yesterday that said the city of Glendale can't annex 45 acres of its property. That means the tribe's entire 134-acre site could conceivably be place in trust, not just the 54 acres that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved.

A federal judge has sided with the BIA on the land-into-trust application. But in a ruling yesterday Judge David Campbell said the BIA's decision can't be finalized until the city goes before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The BIA previously said it wanted to place the 54 acres in trust by May 16. The 9th Circuit is still accepting briefs in the case.

Turtle Talk has posted documents from the state court case, Tohono O’odham Nation v. City of Glendale.

Get the Story:
Ruling: Glendale has no claim to land at proposed casino site (The Arizona Republic 5/4)
Federal judge bars tribe from annexing land near Glendale for casino (Capitol Media Services 5/3)

District Court Decision:
Gila River Indian Community v. DOI (March 3, 2011)