UCE Urges Action on Casino
Upstate Citizens for Equality wants to know what state and federal officials are going to do about Turning Stone Resort and Casino in light of recent court rulings that have declared it to be operating under an invalid gaming compact. Cornelius Murray, an attorney for UCE, recently sent the National Indian Gaming Commission two letters asking them to clarify their intentions for Turning Stone, which is owned by the Oneida Indian Nation. UCE President David Vickers said the letters were motivated by recent court decisions.
One was the state Supreme Court's 2004 decision in Peterman vs. Pataki, which ruled that the gaming compact signed by then-governor Mario Cuomo with the Nation in 1993 is invalid. The ruling was upheld late last year when the state's Court of Appeals decided not to hear an appeal on the case from the Nation. The other was the U. S. Supreme Court's decision on May 15 not to hear the case of the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York vs. Pataki.
Many believe that decision effectively ended the Cayuga's land claim. "All of the arguments from elected officials at almost all levels have been that as long as there is the possibility of some kind of appeal or review we don't want to do anything until we know what the courts are going to say about this," Vickers said. "The courts have now weighed in. "
May 27, 2006
Posted By Hector Rodriguez
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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