The state of New York and local officials are backing the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's lawsuit over its Catskills casino.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) has been pressing the Bush administration to approve the tribe's land-into-trust application. He met with President Bush and former White House adviser Karl Rove to talk about the casino though he wouldn't discuss the details of the conversation with The Middletown Times Herald-Record

Local officials say the casino would generate jobs and revenue in the Catskills. The casino site is about 90 minutes north of New York City and about 300 miles from the Akwesasne Reservation.

The tribe completed its land-into-trust application in February but no decision has been made. Tribal leaders blame Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who opposed off-reservation gaming when he was governor of Idaho. They asked a federal court to force Kempthorne to make a decision within 30 days.

Get the Story:
Mohawks file casino lawsuit over no action (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 11/2)
Spitzer pressed Bush on casino (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 11/2)
Governor, senator want swift action on St. Regis Mohawk casino proposal (The Mid-Hudson News Network 11/2)
County, town, village join forces in support of St. Regis Mohawk suit (The Mid-Hudson News Network 11/2)
Mohawks sue to compel Interior ruling on land trust application (AP 4/1)