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South Carolina Tribe to Sue State

SOUTH CAROLINA – As reported by the South Carolina Herald: "The S.C. General Assembly recessed for the year Thursday without passing a bill to allow the Catawba Indian Nation to open a bingo operation in Santee.

"The York County-based tribe now will proceed with a lawsuit against the state filed in federal court in May, said tribal attorney Jay Bender.

"The failure of the Santee Bingo bill introduced by Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, is another example of the state's long history of ignoring the rights of native people, Bender added.

"…The Catawbas' lawsuit against the state specifically seeks affirmation of the tribe's right to have video poker and electronic games on its reservation, Bender said. The federal case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie.

"…If the judge finds the tribe is entitled to the right to have a gaming operation on the York County reservation, the Catawbas also request that local law enforcement and prosecutors be prohibited from enforcing state laws on the sovereign Indian nation. Video gambling was outlawed in South Carolina in 2000…"

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