Recent litigation to determine the status of the Shiloh parcel for the Koi Nation of Northern California (Koi) could result in resounding implications for tribal gaming, including the Department of Interior (DOI)...more
Recent events around the country indicate that online sweepstakes are facing increasing scrutiny and concerns from legislatures, regulators and others.
“Montana just criminalized everyday digital promotions with a law so...more
The United States Supreme Court will consider whether to review the legality of the Washington tribal gaming compacts as a result of a petition for writ of certiorari (cert) filed in the lawsuit, Maverick Gaming LLC v. United...more
In a victory for the Washington gaming tribes, the United States Supreme Court denied Maverick Gaming LLC’s (Maverick) petition for a writ of certiorari (cert) in upholding the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Maverick Gaming LLC...more
Earlier this month, the State of California (the State) and Governor Gavin Newsom filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking to vacate the Department of the Interior’s (the...more
5/15/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
California ,
Casinos ,
Gambling ,
Government Agencies ,
Indian Gaming ,
Judicial Review ,
Native American Issues ,
State Sovereignty ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Tribal Governments
California has become a battlefield for state versus tribal governance. As of May 6, 2025, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians (Morongo Band), a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in the State of California, filed suit...more
The State of Alaska (the “State” or “Alaska”) is asking a D.C. federal judge to bar an Alaska Native tribe from operating a gaming hall in Anchorage while the State challenges federal authorization for the facility. The State...more
“Defendants [California card rooms] operate, participate in, and facilitate illegal gambling,” according to a complaint filed on April 1, 2025, by the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians (the Rincon Band) and the Santa Ynez Band...more
The case of Lexington Insurance Company v. Suquamish Tribe has emerged as a pivotal legal battle concerning the extent of tribal jurisdiction over nonmembers. This case, which has reached the Supreme Court, challenges the...more
The State of Alaska (the State) has embarked on a significant legal journey, filing a lawsuit against the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC). This lawsuit...more
In a historic move, President Donald J. Trump has signed a presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan to secure full federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. This...more
Nearly one hundred (100) “[d]efendants brazenly profit from illegal gambling” in California, according to a legal complaint filed by seven (7) casino-owning Native American tribes in the Superior Court of California in...more
1/15/2025
/ CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
Class Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Gambling ,
Gaming ,
Illegal Gambling ,
Indian Gaming ,
Jurisdiction ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Native American Issues ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Standing ,
Tribal Governments
A Nebraska tribe’s tobacco businesses are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in HCI Distribution Inc., et al. v. Michael T. Hilgers, et al. This decision concluded that the...more
In Lexington Insurance Co. v. Mueller, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s decision regarding the jurisdiction of the Cabazon Reservation Court in a dispute between Lexington Insurance Company and...more
On October 3, 2024, the Eleventh Circuit issued an opinion finding that arbitration agreements consumers entered into with a Tribal entity contained enforceable delegation provisions, meaning that an arbitrator, rather than a...more
In a recent judicial decision involving the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Tribe has faced a setback in establishing a casino near Detroit, Michigan. The case of Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians v....more
In a momentous legal development, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason has vacated and remanded a decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to place a 787-square-foot parcel of land in downtown Juneau into...more
On June 10, 2024, the Ninth Circuit entered an opinion finding that the Choctaw Nation had expressly waived its sovereign immunity against arbitration, determining that the contractual provision between the Nation and...more
By Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier and Kelsey Haake In a momentous decision on June 6, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a resounding victory for Native American tribes. The Court ruled that the Indian Health Service (IHS)...more
In the recent Arizona federal court case, Xia v. Harrah’s Arizona Corp., five individuals, Jie Xia, Necy Sundquist, Mary Grace Abon, Susan Samons, and Maria Henry (Plaintiffs), brought wrongful termination, discrimination,...more
In a significant legal development, the Alaska Supreme Court recently expanded tribal sovereign immunity to include tribal consortiums, overturning a precedent set two decades ago. The groundbreaking decision of Ito v. Copper...more
Just before the University of Connecticut’s and the University of South Carolina’s wins in March Madness, Louisiana issued a major change to college sports betting. Starting August 1, 2024, Louisiana’s Gaming Control Board...more
Generally, tribal lands held in trust by the federal government are exempt from state and local taxation under Section 5 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (the Act). However, when non-Indians are involved in ownership...more
3/27/2024
/ Appeals ,
AZ Supreme Court ,
Commercial Leases ,
Economic Development ,
Indian Reorganization Act ,
Preemption ,
Property Ownership ,
Property Tax ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tribal Economic Development Projects ,
Tribal Lands
In the complex landscape of Indigenous rights and jurisdiction, the question of tribal authority over Alaska Native allotments has long been a subject of legal debate. The recent Opinion known as Partial Withdrawal of...more
On February 27, 2024, the District Court for the Eastern District of California entered an order finding that California did not negotiate a Class III gaming compact in good faith with Plaintiff Alturas Indian Rancheria...more