News Bites from Indian Country
Indian Gaming
by Mark Van Norman

Artichoke Joe’s v. Norton
Rejecting a frivolous challenge to Indian gaming in California, the Federal District Court in Artichoke Joe’s v. Norton held that Indian gaming is lawful under Federal and State law. The Artichoke Joe’s lawsuit is simply an effort by California card rooms to undermine Indian gaming through frivolous allegations that Tribal-State Compacts violate the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection clause and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act by setting forth a regulatory framework for gaming on Indian lands.

Due to this decision, lawyers decided the state now has the legal backing to proceed with talks and Governor Gray Davis has lifted a year-old moratorium on new Indian gam-bling agreements, initiating talks with the La Posta and Santa Ysabel tribes, both of which have been waiting more than two years for a compact. At least 10 tribes have been waiting to negotiate gambling compacts.

Alabama Coushatta Tribe v. The State of Texas
On Monday July 22, 2002, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, like the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo in Texas, was forced to close the doors to its casino. The closure is a result of a legal attack on the Tribe by Texas Attorney General John Cornyn. The decision will have a devastating economic impact on the Tribe and its surrounding community. At a press conference regarding the closure, Alabama Coushatta Chairman Kevin Battise said, “Even though this is a very difficult hour for us, we know that ultimately we will win the battle for the hearts of our fellow Texans. We will not only persevere in our battle, we will prosper.”

Sovereignty Run
The Sovereignty Run, a cross-country relay spanning twelve states, began September 11, 2002, the one year anniversary of the initial tribal leaders meeting that led to the development of the Sovereignty Protection Initiative, and ended on October 7, 2002. The route began at the mouth of the Quinault River in Washington State and ended on the steps of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC. The purpose of this run was to unite tribes and tribal supporters throughout Indian Country and to create sovereignty aware-ness and support on a national level. For more information visit www.ncai.org.

White Mountain Apache Fire
The National Indian Gaming Association has donated $5000 to provide relief to the White Mountain Apache Tribe and is urging its members, associates and friends to do the same. The tribe’s reservation has been largely destroyed by one of the largest wildfires in the history of the United States. Due to the fire, the White Mountain Apache Tribe has lost most of its timber, devastating the tribe’s economy. It has also been forced to close its casino, depriving the tribe of crucial revenues used to fund essential government functions and programs. Donations can be sent to: White Mountain Apache Relief Fund, c/o National Indian Gaming Association, 224 2nd St. SE Washington, DC 20003.

Wolf Amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill
On July 17, 2002, Congress voted 273 to 151 to strike the Native American Policy Study Commission from the FY 2003 Interior Appropriations bill. The House Native American Caucus led the fight to strike Rep. Frank Wolf’s proposal to establish the Policy Study Commission composed of State, Federal, Local, and Tribal officials whose purpose was to review the health, education, housing, and crime status of Indian country.

This story was first published in the October - November 2002 issue of Gambling Times Magazine.

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