Kansas sues Babbitt to block Indian casino

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The state of Kansas sued the U.S. Interior Department and other federal agencies on Friday in hopes of permanently blocking plans by an Oklahoma tribe to open an Indian casino in Miami County.

The Kansas City Star reported Gov. Bill Graves alleged in the suit that if Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's plans are not halted, "the citizens of Kansas will be unlawfully subjected to an illegal gambling operation which will be essentially unregulated."

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., seeks a judicial order voiding rules issued by Babbitt that unilaterally empower his office and federal agencies under his control to license tribal casinos over state authorities' objections.

The suit also seeks a judicial declaration that the tribe's 35-acre tract near La Cygne Lake about 45 miles southwest of Kansas City is not bona fide reservation land, as Babbitt's office has declared, and should be placed on state tax rolls as private property.

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