Courts overrule Texas tribal gaming expansion

TEXAS -- As reported by the American-Statesman: "The prospect that federal authorities might overrule Texas officials and allow Las Vegas-style gambling on one Indian reservation in the state was short-lived.

"In May, U.S. Department of the Interior officials gave preliminary approval for the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas to expand gambling at its Eagle Pass reservation, but on Friday, two of three federal appellate judges said the department's rules had gone beyond what Congress intended and had denied the State of Texas its sovereign right not to be sued.

"...'The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling is a clear victory for the citizens of Texas,' Thomas Kelley said. 'In striking down the U.S. Department of the Interior's gaming application procedures as unconstitutional, the court has reaffirmed that the State of Texas should have meaningful input in any federal decision regarding casino-style gambling, an activity that has always been illegal in Texas.'..."