California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
United States Supreme Court
480 U.S. 202 (1987)
Relevant factsFree
The Cabazon Band (defendant) operated public bingo and card games on its reservation, drawing mostly non-Indian patrons; California and Riverside County (plaintiffs) sought to impose state gaming regulations on the reservation, and the Cabazon sued for declaratory and injunctive relief, with California intervening to argue Public Law 280 granted it authority to regulate reservation gaming. The district court ruled for the Cabazon, and California sought Supreme Court review.
IssueFree
Whether a state may enforce its civil regulatory laws, as opposed to criminal prohibitory laws, on an Indian reservation under federal Public Law 280.