52 Stars Casinos

Buffalo Casino Opponents Protest Land Sovereignty

Those against the plan of the Seneca Indian Nation to build a casino in Buffalo say that the land that the Senecas purchased is not on sovereign territory. The opponents further argue that even if it were, building a casino there would be illegal.

The arguments are made in federal court filings this week by a coalition that comprises religious and preservationist groups, lawmakers, businesses, homeowners and other entities are opposed to the casino plans.

Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County is one group that is looking to put a halt to the construction of the casino. The group's lawsuit charges that Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other federal officials skirted around or misapplied laws that concerned the siting of Indian casinos, the environment and historic preservation at the time they approved casino plans negotiated by Governor George Pataki and the Seneca Nation.

Another lawsuit filed in the state Supreme Court is challenging the casino on environmental grounds.

"Their whole claim to sovereignty is, in my view, a myth," said Joseph Finnerty, an attorney for the opposing coalition, "and we're asking the federal court to step in and pull back the curtain and expose the truth behind what is really the status of that land."

The Buffalo casino is set to be the Senecas' third and final casino permitted under their 2002 compact with Pataki.