The Department of Justice has responded to a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington from building a casino.
The brief was submitted June 10, The Columbian reported. It defends a decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to place land into trust for the tribe. The record of decision for the Cowlitz Casino Resort is significant because it's the first time the BIA addressed issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Carcieri v. Salazar. The tribe gained federal recognition in 2000. But Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk determined that the Cowlitz were under "federal jurisdiction" in 1934 -- a key issue in the Supreme Court ruling. The lawsuit was filed by Clark County and other opponents in federal court in Washington, D.C. Get the Story: