County sues DOI for approving Ione Band casino land acquisition

Friday, June 29, 2012  

Amador County in California is suing the Obama administration in hopes of blocking the Ione Band of Miwok Indians from opening a casino.

Among other arguments, the county says the tribe wasn't "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar bars the Bureau of Indian Affairs from approving the tribe's land-into-trust application for 228 acres, according to the lawsuit.

The county also claims the BIA wrongly granted an exception to the tribe to open a casino on the site. Generally, gaming is barred on lands acquired after 1988.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act provides an exception for tribes that were restored to federal recognition. But the county's lawsuit says the Ione Band doesn't meet that test.

Additionally, the county says the tribe lacks connections to its gaming site.

Get the Story:
Amador County sues U.S. Interior Department to block casino (The Sacremento Bee 6/29)

Relevant Documents:
Complaint: Amador County v. Salazar (June 27, 2012)

Federal Register Notice:
Land Acquisitions; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California (May 30, 2012)

Ione Band leader doesn't anticipate casino for a few more years (6/13)