New Mexico Tribe Goes to War With Gambling Panel
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – (Associated Press) - An Oklahoma-based American Indian tribe is accusing the National Indian Gaming Commission of shirking a federal court order to reconsider an earlier decision that prohibited the tribe from conducting gambling on its land in southern New Mexico.
Attorneys for the Fort Sill Apache filed a motion Tuesday, calling for the commission to be held in contempt.
A previous order required the commission to reconsider its 2015 decision as part of a settlement process after receiving an opinion from the U.S. Interior Department on the tribe's eligibility to conduct gaming at Akela Flats, New Mexico.
The commission notified the tribe last week there were no grounds for reconsideration. The commission did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Fort Sill Chairman Jeff Haozous says the commission is violating the tribe's right to a speedy resolution of the gaming dispute.
