Rincon Band compact case still pending at Supreme Court

Monday, May 23, 2011  

The state of California is still waiting to hear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its appeal of a compact case involving the Rincon Band of Mission Indians.

The tribe sued when former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) demanded a share of gaming revenues in exchange for more slot machines. In April 2010, The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state was negotiating in bad faith.

"The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act clearly states that the governor may not use the negotiating process to impose a fee or a tax upon a tribe," Chairman Bo Mazzetti told The North County Times. "That is what led to the litigation."

The state filed a petition with the Supreme Court last September. In December, the court asked the Department of Justice for its views on the case but a brief hasn't been submitted, according to the docket sheet for Brown v. Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians.

Get the Story:
Rincon suit would limit state's ability to collect cash from tribes (The North County Times 5/21)

9th Circuit Decision:
Rincon Band v. Schwarzenegger (April 20, 2010)

Related Stories:
Supreme Court asks DOJ for views in Rincon Band compact case (12/14)