Shinnecock Nation urges gaming talks after 2nd Circuit decision

Tuesday, June 26, 2012  

The Shinnecock Nation urged New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to come to the table for gaming talks after a decision from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.

The decision lifted an injunction that barred the Shinnecocks from building a casino on ancestral land. The 2nd Circuit essentially erased a federal judge's opinion that could have had negative implications for the newly-recognized tribe.

"Now that the Nation has been federally recognized as an Indian tribe and has been freed from the effects of that judgment and injunction, we again ask Governor Cuomo to sit down with the Nation to discuss how the Nation and the State can move forward together,” the tribe said in a statement, according to news reports.

The tribe has proposed up to three gaming facilities on Long Island. Cuomo, however, says he won't sit down for talks until state voters consider his plan to expand non-Indian gaming.

The earliest a statewide referendum could take place is in the fall of 2013.

Get the Story:
Native American casino battle shifts to NY state court (Reuters 6/25)
Federal Court Tosses Injunction Preventing Shinnecocks From Building Hampton Bays Casino (The Southampton Press 6/25)
Casino Ruling Struck Down (The Wall Street Journal 6/26)

2nd Circuit Decision:
New York v. Shinnecock Nation (June 25, 2012)

2nd Circuit lifts injunction in old Shinnecock Nation gaming case (6/25)