Blog: Judge limits tribe's involvement in gambling lawsuit
Judge limits tribe's involvement in gambling lawsuit
"TOPEKA, Kan. — A northeast Kansas Indian tribe will have only limited
involvement in a lawsuit challenging the state’s new gambling law, a
judge ruled Thursday.
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation sought
to intervene in the “friendly” lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Paul
Morrison to resolve legal questions surrounding the law quickly and
permit a more rapid expansion of gambling.
The law permits
state-owned casinos in four areas and slot machines at dog and horse
tracks. The Potawatomi tribe operates a casino on its reservation north
of Topeka, and the state-owned gambling represents potential
competition.
Shawnee County District Judge Charles Andrews
limited the tribe to filing written, “friend of the court” arguments in
the case. If Andrews had allowed the tribe to intervene, its attorneys
would have been allowed to argue their points and question witnesses
during court hearings.
The ruling prevents the tribe from
becoming “an independent player” in the case, said Morrison spokeswoman
Ashley Anstaett. Morrison opposed the tribe’s request to intervene."
