JAMESTOWN, CA – The Department of the Interior recently approved Secretarial Procedures for the Chicken Ranch Rancheria Me-Wuk Indians of California.
In a landmark decision, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Interior Bryan Newland approved gaming procedures for the five plaintiff tribes in Chicken Ranch Rancheria v. California. This is a significant recognition of tribal sovereignty that does not create a regulatory role for the State of California. The Chicken Rancheria lawsuit establishes precedent for future compact negotiations and reaffirms the status of tribes as sovereign governments with authority over their lands and clarifies boundaries between state, federal, and tribal jurisdiction.
“We fought the state through five years of compact negotiations, five years of litigation, and won independence from state regulation, and Secretary Haaland’s ultimate approval of these procedures represents a major victory for tribal sovereignty,” said Lloyd Mathiesen, Chairman of the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians.
