The Mashpee Wampanoag have received a favorable preliminary advisory opinion from the Interior Department -- one more hurdle cleared in their race toward a casino in Taunton, MA.

Interior finds that the lands that tribe is asking to be acquired in trust would qualify as the Tribe's "initial reservation" under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).

What with the end of the fall semester, final exams, and an upcoming state legislative session (not to mention the Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Marathon!), we've fallen a little behind on our blog posts.

Let's catch up on some media appearances in December.

Steve is quoted fairly extensively with a link to our Institute in The New Republic online at Lydia DePillis, “Bad Odds: Online Gaming Would Only Widen Tribal Inequality,” The New Republic (online), Dec. 12, 2012.  Here's an excerpt:

Steve is quoted in this Wall Street Journal article on intertribal competition for casino markets, Tribes Clash Over Gambling. 

Here's a short excerpt from the article:

"Until recently, there was peace among Oregon's nine tribes, largely because no single tribe has a casino near Portland. All told, the nine tribes take in around $500 million in annual revenue from casinos. The largest player—the Grand Ronde's Spirit Mountain property—earns an estimated $50 million annually, and disperses about $3,000 annually to around 5,000 tribe members as a per capita dividend.

Kathryn is quoted in this Fresno Bee article on the legal challenges to the North Fork Mono Indians casino project.  A rare example of a casino approved under the "best interests" exception, the North Fork casino gained Interior Secretary approval last year, and California Governor Jerry Brown's approval in August.  Similar approval was given in the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria.  Now, opponents are exploring lawsuits to halt, delay, or bankrupt both projects.

Calling the Supreme Court's decision a "job killer," National Indian Gaming Association Chair Ernie Stevens spoke candidly in this Indian Country Today article (by one of our favorite reporters, Gale Courey Toensing) about the impact of Carcieri v. Salazar and the potential for a legislative fix:

On Friday, the U.S. Senate approved President Barack Obama's nomination of Kevin Washburn as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs by unanimous consent.  (Congrats, Kevin!)

"As we continue to strengthen the integrity of the nation's government-to-government relationship with federally-recognized Indian tribes and empower Native American and Alaska Native communities, Kevin Washburn will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team and a vital asset for President Obama's initiatives in Indian Country," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.

Our friend and colleague Kevin Washburn is one step closer to filling the position of AS-IA, or Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior.  On September 14, during a nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, chaired by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, Washburn testified, "I will commit to you [that] if I am confirmed, I will be a voice within the Department for strong argument and advocacy for protection of the resources that we need to carry out our solemn obligations to the tribes under treaties and the trust responsibility….”