Proposed tribal casino case goes to court

In April, Glendale leaders and others will ask a court to overturn a federal decision to grant reservation status to a 54-acre tract near the city that is owned by a southern Arizona tribe. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently set April16 as the date for oral arguments in the case against the Tohono O'odham Nation, which seeks to build a resort and casino on the land near 95th and Northern avenues. Glendale is joined by the Gila River Indian Community and key state lawmakers in the appeal. They seek to overturn the U.S. Department of Interior's decision in 2010 that the tribe's land should be taken into trust as part of the reservation. The Tohono O'odham purchased the land as part of a congressional settlement to replace tribal land near Gila Bend that was damaged by a federally built dam. Glendale and others challenged the Interior's decision, which was upheld by a federal judge last year. From there, they appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Click here to view this article from its source.