A federal judge has dismissed a northern New Mexico American Indian tribe's lawsuit against the state over failed negotiations concerning its gambling compact and sharing of revenue.
The lawsuit filed in December by the Pojoaque Pueblo located north of Santa Fe contended that Gov. Susana Martinez's administration was proposing to collect an illegal tax without providing the tribe with any benefits.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that U.S. District Senior Judge James Parker dismissed the suit this week, ruling that the state's sovereign immunity provides a legal shield.
The tribe can now ask the federal government to approve a compact that would allow the tribe's two casinos to remain open after the June 2015 expiration of the current compact.
The state has gambling compacts with 14 tribes.
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