Madera tribal casino wins Supreme Court approval

A tribal casino in Madera County has been given the Supreme Court’s approval after a 17-year legal battle.

US.- The North Fork Tribe in California has finally received approval to build a casino resort.

The venue will have 2,000 slot machines, 40 table games, and a 200-room hotel.

The tribe, which has around 2,200 Mono Indian citizens, was granted permission by the Supreme Court on Monday after hearing oral arguments submitted on June 2. It follows a 17-year battle to get the go-ahead for the casino.

The process began in 2003, when the tribe landed a deal with gaming operator company Station Casinos. In 2004, the tribe asked the federal government to hold land in Madera County in a trust for the casino.

The project was then approved by the federal Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs in 2011, and the body sought Californian Governor Jerry Brown’s concurrence to proceed.

Gov. Brown gave his concurrence but controversies arose surrounding whether he had the authority to do so, leading to a long process of court hearings and appeals.

The Supreme Court has now deemed Gov. Brown’s decision valid.

It declared that he “acted within his authority when he concurred in a pair of federal decisions in 2011 that led to the approval of two so-called ‘off-reservation’ tribal gaming projects in Madera and Yuba counties.”

Chair of the North Fork Tribe Elaine Bethel-Fink said in a statement on Facebook: “While we firmly believe that only federal law controls the gaming eligibility of our trust lands, we are nonetheless delighted to have this long drawn out drama finally behind us — and eager to get going and bring jobs and economic opportunity to our people and community!”