Cox
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has ordered an Indian community to close its Vanderbilt-area casino, according to a letter sent to the tribe's lawyer.
According to The Times Herald, the letter e-mailed to Kathryn Tierney on Thursday said state officials disagreed with the Bay Mills Indian Community that its casino, which opened in November, is located on tribal land.
The Indian community contends the property is tribal land because it was bought with money from the state's Indian Land Claims Settlement Act.
If that's the case, the casino doesn't require government approval.
The government, in its letter, said even if the casino is located on Indian lands, the tribe's use of the property violates the prohibition against gaming on property acquired by a tribe after Oct. 17, 1988.
The letter said the casino must close immediately or the state "will compel closure," according to the newspaper.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.