Artist's rendering of the proposed Kewadin Lansing Casino. Image from Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said he will sue leaders of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in order to stop them from pursuing an off-reservation casino. Schuette sued the tribe itself for proposing the $245 million Kewadin Lansing Casino. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, however, ruled that the tribe didn't waive its sovereign immunity. Schuette asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. But he withdrew the petition in light of the decision in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, which held that another Michigan tribe can't be sued without its consent. "We now know the state must sue the tribal officials, not the tribe itself. This clarification has resolved some conflicts among the lower courts and thus eliminated the need for the Supreme Court to step in at this stage," a spokesperson for Schuette told MLive. Schuette will presumably modify his original complaint and identify tribal officials as defendants. Get the Story:
Attorney General Bill Schuette withdraws US Supreme Court petition over Lansing casino case (MLive 6/6)
Schuette Withdraws Supreme Court Appeal (WILX 6/5) Supreme Court Decision:
Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community (May 27, 2014) 6th Circuit Decision:
Michigan v. Sault Ste Marie Tribe (December 18, 2013) Related Stories:
Soo Tribe confident of success with off-reservation casino bid (6/5)
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