Legality of casino deals not settled, court says
A group opposed to a tribal casino in Florence won a legal round in the Oregon Court of Appeals.
A lawsuit seeking to block the casino will go back to the trial judge to decide whether the governor has the legal authority to enter into gaming agreements with tribes given the state constitution’s ban on casinos.
People Against a Casino Town have been battling the casino in court since it was approved in 2003, but the courts so far have refused to consider the merits of their claim, according to Kelly Clark, the lead attorney for the group.
But the Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the trial judge should address the question of the governor’s authority to sign tribal casino compacts.
A decision on the merits of the case could affect other casinos, including the one proposed for the Columbia River Gorge.
The state could appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court.
-- Ashbel S. Green
Posted on Thursday, June 12th, 2008, in Our Work In the News |
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June 16th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Go, Kelly, Go !!
And thanks for all you’re doing for the people of Oregon. It’s not right that we have to go through all this just to remind that politicians, even governors, cannot pick and choose which laws they obey. We’re lucky to have you fighting for us.