A decades-long legal battle between the El Paso Tigua Tribe and the state of Texas has reached a definite conclusion this week. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Tigua Tribe agreed to dismiss a pending litigation case that had been returned to a lower Texas court.
This follows the historic decision made by the US Supreme Court in June, which ruled that the Tiguas can legally conduct electronic bingo games from its Speaking Rock casino. Lawyers representing the state of Texas had previously argued that betting games offered at Speaking Rock were illegal.
An agreement to dismiss the case was filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the western district of Texas in El Paso. Previously, on September 6, Federal Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered lawyers for the Tigua Tribe and the state of Texas to meet and determine if any issues needed to be resolved or whether the case should be dismissed.
Last Tuesday, lawyers from both sides filed a status report stating that, after meeting four times this month, they had determined: “the United States Supreme Court ruling resolved all claims in the case and there is no need for further (court) proceedings.”
An El Paso Tiguas lawyer, Brent Marin, released a statement saying: “The Tribe is proud to have reached an agreement with the state of Texas to end the decades-long dispute over the Tribe’s gaming activities.
“We are grateful that the Supreme Court has affirmed the Tribe’s sovereignty under the (federal) Restoration Act. The Tribe will continue to offer entertainment, concerts, and gaming at Speaking Rock, and is excited to expand its services to better serve the Tribe's members and west Texas.”
