Ruling Favors Wyandotte Nation

In a 44-page decision handed down by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson based in Topeka, it was ruled that the National Indian Gaming Commission acted improperly when it disqualified the land of the Wyandotte Nation for tribal gaming.

The now defunct 7th Street Casino used to be operated by the Wyandotte tribe in Kansas City, Kansas before the National Indian Gaming Commission voided the land's reservation status, prompting Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline to have the casino raided and shut down. 152 slot machines and about $500,000 in cash were confiscated. The casino never reopened.

"The court's decision appears to clear the way for the tribe to resume gaming activity," Conly J. Schulte, the tribe's Omaha attorney, said Friday.

The latest ruling is the third in favor of the tribe in recent months. The tribe also won a ruling April, where the 10th District U.S. Court of Appeals three-judge panel found that the state had no authority to shut down the casino based on its being on Indian lands.

"This latest victory completes a litigation trifecta in favor of the Wyandotte Nation," Schulte said.

"The federal courts have now held that the (land) was appropriately taken into trust by the secretary of the interior, that the state of Kansas lacks jurisdiction over gaming activities on the ... tract and now that the ... tract qualifies for gaming under federal law," he added.