Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe ties casino suit to anti-Indian group

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Michelle Littlefield, a named plaintiff in a lawsuit that challenges the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's casino bid, is shown here with Tom Hoye, the mayor of Taunton, the city where the tribe plans to build the $500 million First Light Resort and Casino. She said the picture was taken in April 2012 at her home and suggested it was evidence that she is not anti-Indian. Photo from Facebook

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is accusing a named plaintiff in an anti-casino lawsuit of ties to an anti-Indian group.

Michelle Littlefield admits she helped the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance host a conference in March 2013 and her name even appears on a Facebook invite for the event. But she otherwise says she is not involved with the group, which claims that federal Indian law and policy is racist against non-Indians.

“They wanted to have a conference here and asked if we would host it. We’re all about learning everything we can learn about the tribal process," Littlefield told The Taunton Daily Gazette.

The complaint in Littlefield v. Department of the Interior raises the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, arguing that the Bureau of Indian Affairs can't place land in trust for the casino because the tribe wasn't "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The tribe gained formal recognition in May 2007.

The tribe plans to build the $500 million First Light Resort and Casino in the city of Taunton.

Get the Story:
Heated words traded in tribal casino lawsuit (The Taunton Daily Gazette 1/27)

Federal Register Notices:
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for the Mashpee Wampanoag (January 8, 2016)
Land Acquisitions; Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 25, 2015)
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fee-to-Trust Transfer of Property and Subsequent Development of a Resort/Hotel and Ancillary Facilities in the City of Taunton, MA and Tribal Government Facilities in the Town of Mashpee, MA by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (September 5, 2014)
Land Acquisitions: Appeals of Land Acquisition Decisions (November 13, 2013)

Relevant Documents:
Chairman Cedric Cromwell Announcement | Mashpee Wampanoag Trbe Press Release | Bureau of Indian Affairs Press Release | Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn Letter to Chairman Cedric Cromwell | Record of Decision | Attachment I - Legal Descriptions | Attachment II - Maps | Attachment III - Mitigation Monitoring and Enforcement Plan | Attachment IV - Response to Comments on the Final Environmental Impact Statement

DOI Solicitor Opinion:
M-37029: The Meaning of "Under Federal Jurisdiction" for Purposes of the Indian Reorganization Act (March 12, 2014)