A federal judge has rejected claims by plaintiffs in lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) that the casino that the Jamul Indian Village is building in San Diego County is not on Indian land.
This will allow the tribe to continue with building its $360 million 203,000 square foot casino on 4.7 acres.
The lawsuit was filed in 2013 by Jamul Action Committee and Jamul Community Church in 2013. They hoped to overturn a finding by the NIGC that the tribe’s Indian lands qualified it for a casino. They argued that the Interior Department did not have the authority to put the land into trust because the tribe was not recognized until 1980. They also argued that the NIGC was required to approve of the casino’s management contract.
The judge ruled against the plaintiffs on both counts.
The casino is slated to deploy 1,700 slots, 50 gaming tables, dining and parking. Jamul is a desert community of about 6,000 residents 20 miles east of San Diego.
Jamul Action Committee says that it intends to appeal the ruling. JAC President Glenn Revell told the Courthouse News Service, “We can accept the initial ruling and give in to the suggestion that the proposed casino is a ‘done deal’ or we can place our faith and support in the compelling legal position that will ultimately stop this project forever.”
