A federal magistrate has allowed the state of Kansas to join the Wyandotte Nation off-reservation lawsuit.
The tribe sued the Bureau of Indian Affairs for failing to approve a land-into-trust application in Kansas. The state, which lost an earlier case over a different off-reservation site, is now a part of the litigation. The tribe acquired 10.5 acres in Park City in connection with a land claim settlement. The law mandates that the land be placed in trust but the BIA has failed to take action since January 2009. The tribe currently operates a casino in downtown Kansas City on a half-acre site that was acquired in connection with the same land claim settlement. The courts repeatedly upheld the tribe's right to engage in gaming there. Get the Story: