On May 27, 2014, the Supreme Court issued one decision,
described below, of interest to the business community.
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act—Tribal Sovereign
Immunity
Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, No.
12-515 (described in the
June 24, 2013, Docket Report)
Today, in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, No.
12-515, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its prior holding that tribal
sovereign immunity extends to suits arising out of Indian
tribes' commercial activities. The Court concluded that,
although the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) partially
abrogates tribal sovereign immunity by allowing the states to sue
Indian Tribes in federal court "to enjoin ... class III gaming
activit[ies]," such as casino games, that are "located on
Indian lands and conducted in violation of any Tribal-State
compact" (25 U.S.C. § 2710(d)(7)(A)(ii)), IGRA does
not authorize suits to enjoin gaming activities located outside
Indian lands. Because the Court's decision