The Justice Department asks judge to reconsider ruling on Mashpee casino

The Justice Department asked a federal judge to reconsider a recent ruling that halted the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from opening a casino in Taunton.

US.- The Justice Department filed a motion asking a federal judge to reconsider a recent ruling that halted the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from opening a casino in Taunton.

Back in July, US District Judge William G. Young ruled the federal government erred last year when it approved a Mashpee reservation in Taunton, where the tribe plans to build a US$1 billion casino.

Under federal law, tribes have the right to run casinos on reservations. However, Young argued that the Department of the Interior lacked the authority to acquire land in trust for the tribe because the Mashpee tribe was not federally recognised at the time of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act.

In its motion, the Justice Department contended that Young was mistaken when he equated “federal recognition” with “federal jurisdiction.” The Justice Department called on the judge to return the matter to the Interior Department for further consideration.

Cedric Cromwell, the Mashpee tribal council chairman, declared that the tribe “applauds the Justice Department’s decision” to seek reconsideration. “We’ve been on our land for thousands of years, and all we seek is the right to exist here as a sovereign people,” Cromwell said. “It was promised to us soon after the first Pilgrims arrived, and it’s a promise we hope the courts will honor.”

After US District Judge William G. Young ruling, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has halted construction on the casino.