Top court declines to hear appeal over casino lawsuit

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal Monday from three American Indian tribes seeking to challenge the governor's ability to block them from acquiring a western Wisconsin dog track and turning it into an off-reservation casino.

The decision lets stand an appeals court ruling that nixed the deal and upheld the power of governors to approve off-reservation casinos under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The Red Cliff, Lac Courte Oreilles and Mole Lake Chippewa bands filed suit to challenge that authority after then-Gov. Scott McCallum refused to sign off on a project in 2001 to turn the financially troubled St. Croix Meadows greyhound racing track into a casino with about 1,500 slot machines.

The U.S. Supreme Court did not say why it declined to hear the case.

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