- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
After more than a decade of legal disputes over tribal gaming in southern Oregon, a federal judge has upheld a U.S. Department of the Interior decision placing 2.4 acres into trust for the Coquille Indian Tribe and determining that the property is eligible for gaming.
In a memorandum opinion issued Sept. 4, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta rejected a challenge brought by the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Karuk Tribe, and the Tolowa Dee‑ni’ Nation. The tribes challenged Interior’s January 2025 approval, arguing that the Medford parcel did not qualify as “restored lands” under the Coquille Restoration Act of 1989 and therefore could not be used for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Their complaint asserted that Interior misapplied the restored‑lands standard and exceeded its authority by allowing the Coquille tribe to open a gaming facility in Jackson County.
Coquille Tribal Chair Brenda Meade said the ruling affirmed the tribe’s long‑standing interpretation of its restoration statute.
“Today a federal judge confirmed what we have always known,” Meade said. “This ruling ensures our sovereignty is stronger than ever.”
Interior’s 2025 decision allowed the Coquille tribe to open a small gaming operation with about 30 Class II gaming machines at the former Roxy Ann Lanes site on South Pacific Highway. The Cedars at Bear Creek gaming facility has operated continuously since January 2025. The tribe also owns and operates the adjacent Bear Creek Golf Course and Compass Hotel Medford.
Mehta ruled that the Medford property qualifies for gaming because it sits within the five-county service area established by the Coquille Restoration Act. The law restored the tribe’s federal recognition and authorized the Interior secretary to take additional land into trust in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Lane counties.
Interior determined that the Medford parcel met the definition of restored lands under IGRA, permitting gaming there. Mehta agreed, ruling that Jackson County falls within the specific geographic area identified in the Coquille Restoration Act and that the property qualifies under IGRA’s statute-based restored-lands exception.
Mehta granted summary judgment to the federal government and the Coquille tribe, which intervened to defend the decision.
The ruling is a final, appealable order, meaning the three plaintiff tribes may seek review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Coquille officials said the gaming facility will continue operating and that gaming revenues will help fund services and programs for tribal citizens.
“We will continue to monitor the issues brought forward about our project,” Meade said. “We are focused on delivering a great service and experience for all our guests.”
Medford city officials initially opposed the casino, but the city later entered into a municipal services agreement with the tribe covering public services at the property. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden criticized Interior’s 2025 approval, calling it a “casino arms race” and a “reckless choice by D.C. bureaucrats,” according to Rogue Valley Times reporting.
The Medford casino was one of several contentious gaming projects approved in the waning days of the Biden administration. Another such project, a planned casino in Vallejo, Calif. by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, has been effectively shuttered following a Trump administration’s reversal of the Band’s gaming approval.
