Tejon Tribe awaits next steps for $600 million Hard Rock gaming project
Thursday, July 11, 2019

The Tejon Tribe is gearing up for the next step in its journey toward self-sufficiency.
The tribe anticipates a public hearing on its $600 million gaming development this fall, The Bakersfield Californian reported. Residents of Kern County are already receiving postcards about the long-awaited project.
"The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon will bring significant economic benefits and new entertainment options to Kern County while creating a new economic future for the Tejon Indian Tribe," the postcards state, The Californian reported. "Show your support and help us make this exciting project a reality!"
The tribe has partnered with Hard Rock International, one of the most prominent names in the gaming, entertainment and hospitality industry. They are planning a 165,500-square-foot casino with a 400-room hotel and a 22-acre RV park on a 306-acre site near Bakersfield.
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Supreme Court keeps Indian Country in the dark in sovereignty case
Wednesday, July 10, 2019  
By Acee Agoyo

It's still anyone's guess why the nation's highest court postponed a decision in one of the most consequential Indian law cases in recent history.
In the two weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court stunned just about everyone by failing to resolve Carpenter v. Murphy, a case affecting the Indian Country status of millions of acres in Oklahoma, there has been no clear explanation for the delay. No one knows if the justices came close to a consensus, remained hopelessly far apart or simply ran out of time before going away for their summer recess.
Similarly, there's been no hint of what will happen next in the case, which was the oldest on the docket without a decision before the Supreme Court ended its term on June 27. No additional or clarifying requests have been made to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Trump administration, the state of Oklahoma or Patrick Dwayne Murphy, the Creek citizen whose death row sentence for a murder that occurred 20 years ago spurred the high-stakes dispute.
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Supreme Court could change its approach to Indian land case, experts say
by CHRIS CASTEEL
Published: Sun, July 7, 2019 5:00 AM...

The U.S. Supreme Court, which has failed to reach a decision in a closely watched Indian land case out of Oklahoma, likely deadlocked and may try a different approach in its next term, according to Indian law experts.
It is also possible that Justice Neil Gorsuch may reconsider his recusal in the case and participate when the court begins its next term in October, the experts said.
Stephen Greetham, senior counsel for the Chickasaw Nation, said Chief Justice John Roberts may be uncomfortable disposing of the case on a 4-4 ruling given the seriousness of the question before the court.
“So what I’m waiting for is to see if the court issues an order further directing the parties to refine the arguments to other questions the court is looking at analyzing,” Greetham said.
“Or, alternatively, having a justice unrecuse himself is not uncommon.”
Roberts announced last month that the Supreme Court would rehear the case of whether the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s reservation was officially disestablished by Congress. The court first heard oral arguments in the case in November 2018.
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Donald Trump's 'Salute to America' cost taxpayers $5.4 million
Friday, July 12, 2019

President Donald Trump's "Salute to America" on the Fourth of July cost taxpayers $5.4 million, The Associated Press reports.
The bulk of the funds, about $2.45 million, came from the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most responsibilities in Indian Country. The money was diverted from the National Park Service, according to the AP, and it totaled more than the entire budget for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in the current fiscal year.
"Tapping these funds for this rally is a blatant misappropriation and a violation of that agreement with the American public," Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona), the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, who worked closely with Trump to plan and execute the event.
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