United States Supreme Court

Plaintiff-state's suit alleging that defendant-tribe had violated their compact pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) is barred by tribal sovereign immunity, where: 1) the compact authorized defendant-tribe to operate a casino on Indian lands located within the State's border but prohibited it from doing so outside that territory; 2) defendant-tribe later opened a second casino on land it had purchased through a congressionally established land trust; and 3) the Sixth Circuit correctly concluded that the compact only authorized suits to enjoin gaming activity located "on Indian lands," whereas plaintiff-state's complaint alleged the casino was outside such territory, so plaintiff-state must therefore resort to other mechanisms, including legal actions against the responsible individuals, to resolve this dispute.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/27/2014
• Published 05/27/2014

Judges

• KAGAN

Court

• United States Supreme Court

Counsel