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SpanishThis statement is from Sault Tribe Chairperson Aaron Payment, reacting to today's ruling from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the state of Michigan's lawsuit seeking to block the Tribe's proposed casino in downtown Lansing. The federal appeals court reversed the district judge, lifted the injunction preventing the Tribe from moving forward, and cleared the path for the Tribe to request to have the land placed in trust status.
"We are grateful that this U.S. Court of Appeals ruling has strongly affirmed our right pursuant to the 1997 Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act to continue to pursue federal approval of a Sault Tribe casino in downtown Lansing. The ruling is a victory for the Sault Tribe and the people of Lansing. While our patience and perseverance have been rewarded, two things are certain: we will now move expeditiously to file our trust application with the federal government to open the casino, and this project will continue to face legal and other challenges that will seek to delay and block it. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, and we will continue to pursue and defend our legal rights."
(For reporters and editors: the ruling is in Case No. 13-1438, Mich. v The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Please note that a PDF of the ruling is attached)