Minnesota attorney general Peg Lautenschlager issued a legal opinion February 13 that supports keeping the state's casino audits secret.

In the opinion, Lautenschlager said the state's regulation of tribal gaming supersedes the public's interest in seeing the records. Her stance backs several tribes that are fighting to keep the audits secret, arguing that they contain trade secrets.

A state court ruled against keeping the records private in a case brought by news organizations, including the Native American Press /Ojibwe News, published by Bill Lawrence, a Red Lake tribal member affiliated with an anti-treaty rights organization called Citizens Equal Rights Foundation/Alliance.

Get the Story:
Casino records should stay secret, attorney general says (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 2/26)

Court Decision:
Prairie Island Indian Community vs. Minnesota Department of Public Safety (April 1, 2003)