Months after the Supreme Court derailed the Mashpee Wampanoag’s plan to put its land into trust for a casino in Middleboro, a U.S. senator is offering to change the rules. Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, has introduced a measure to amend the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. If passed, the bill would affirm the Interior Secretary’s authority to take land into trust for all tribes, regardless of when they were recognized.  While the Supreme Court decision stemmed from a case that pitted the Rhode Island governor against the Narragansett tribe, it chilled plans for other tribes to build casinos. The court’s decision was a setback for the Wampanoags, who were recognized in 2007 and stalled their application to put more than 500 acres in Middleboro into federal trust for an Indian casino.

Source: Boston Herald, September 26, 2009