The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is still waiting for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make a decision on its casino land-into-trust application. Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn promised a decision this spring but that deadline has passed. The holdup appears to be with Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins, who said the application was a top priority in a March 20 letter. “Certainly we look forward to hearing from the solicitor on the Carcieri analysis,” Chairman Cedric Cromwell told The Taunton Daily Gazette. Cromwell is referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The justices held that the land-into-trust process is restricted to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" as of 1934. The Mashpees gained federal recognition in May 2007 so the tribe has to clear a big hurdle in its bid for the casino land. Get the Story:
Mashpee Wampanoag confident about casino plan despite hurdles (The Taunton Daily Gazette 7/3)
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