By Caitlin McGlade | The Arizona Republic
The Gila River Indian Community on Tuesday appealed its lawsuit to stop the Tohono O’odham Nation from building a casino near Glendale.
The tribe, the state and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community had lost their U.S. District Court battle in June. Judge David Campbell rejected their arguments that the new casino would violate the 2002 voter-backed state gaming compact, which they said had intended to cap the number of Phoenix-area casinos.
Campbell recently denied the state’s request for more time to file an appeal in the case. Salt River has yet to decide whether to appeal, a tribal spokesperson said.
After the Tohono O’odham won in District Court, the tribe had sought for the state to cover its $4.2 million in legal fees. However, Campbell this week denied the request, saying he would not rule on the payment of legal fees until the appeal is decided by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Arizona legislative leaders in the suit against the planned casino.
