Texas: U.S. Supreme Court to decide legality of gambling on Tigua tribal land

Texas: U.S. Supreme Court to decide legality of gambling on Tigua tribal land

Article brief provided by El Paso Matters
  • Robert Moore, El Paso Matters
October 18, 2021 6:51 PM
  • Robert Moore, El Paso Matters

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether El Paso’s Tigua Indians can offer some forms of gambling on their land, setting the stage for an end to a nearly 30-year fight between the tribe and the state of Texas.

Story continues below

The high court granted the Tiguas’ request to hear an appeal of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals 2019 decision that ruled that the bingo-style games at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso’s Lower Valley were illegal. It was the latest in a series of such rulings by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit dating to 1994.

It marks the first time that the Supreme Court has agreed to take up the longstanding fight between Texas and the Tiguas and the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of East Texas. The high court only agrees to hear 2% to 4% of all appeals it receives, a legal process known as granting a petition for certiorari.