The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, in the midst of a high-stakes legal standoff with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), has gained the powerful backing of the Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT), marking a crucial development in its pursuit to establish a major casino project in Vallejo, California.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, COLT’s amicus curiae brief urges the court to grant a preliminary injunction that would stop the Department from walking back its earlier approval of the Tribe’s gaming eligibility. The project, which includes a $700 million, 400,000-square-foot casino resort, has been in planning for nearly a decade and is proposed for a 160-acre property near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37 in Solano County.

The casino initiative extends beyond gaming facilities. It includes tribal administrative buildings, a parking structure, 24 planned single-family homes, and a 45-acre environmental preserve. The complex is expected to operate continuously and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, contributing hundreds of millions in wages and providing a boost to the local economy.

Legal Battle Intensifies Over Interior’s Reversal

The conflict stems from a decision by the Department of the Interior in late March to reassess the Tribe’s land trust status under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The Tribe argues that this review undermines a final determination issued in January 2025 that cleared the way for casino development on land that had been taken into trust.

In response, the Scotts Valley Band filed for a preliminary injunction to prevent the reconsideration from invalidating their gaming eligibility. “This case is about more than one tribe — it’s about the basic right of all tribal nations to rely on final decisions from the United States government,” said Chairman Shawn Davis of the Scotts Valley Band, according to Times-Herald Online.

COLT’s brief warns that reopening finalized federal decisions without due process jeopardizes tribal sovereignty at large. “What happens in one land-into-trust decision can impact all others across the country,” the filing emphasized, adding that tribal self-determination hinges on predictable and lawful federal action.

In the accompanying letter, Hon. Marvin Weatherwax, Chairman of the Blackfeet Nation, stated, “COLT is always willing to speak truth to power. The best interests of all of Indian Country are served by keeping politics out of those processes.”

Court Narrows Scope as Intervenors Denied

The Tribe’s lawsuit, titled Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians v. U.S. Department of the Interior (Case No. 1:25-cv-00958-TNM), advanced in April when District Judge Trevor N. McFadden denied the intervention of three other tribes—Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and United Auburn Indian Community. The judge ruled that these groups lacked standing to participate, thus confirming the legal fight is confined to the Scotts Valley Band and the federal government.

Despite this progress, the Tribe has encountered judicial skepticism. During a recent hearing, Judge McFadden questioned the Tribe’s claim of “irreparable harm,” since the DOI has only paused, rather than revoked, its eligibility determination. “Your irreparable harm claim is a tough one to make,” McFadden said, noting the casino remains far from operational.

Still, McFadden acknowledged potential flaws in the Department’s process, suggesting its actions might be deemed “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act if they failed to consider the Tribe’s financial and legal reliance on the January decision. The Tribe’s filings cite $1.8 million already spent on casino-related preparations since that approval.

Regional Disputes and National Implications

While Scotts Valley’s plans move forward in court, the project continues to draw criticism from Governor Gavin Newsom and local Patwin tribes, who contest the Tribe’s ancestral connection to the Vallejo land. Their objections challenge a core requirement under IGRA—that gaming activities must occur on ancestral lands.

Yocha Dehe and Kletsel Dehe tribes filed separate lawsuits against the Interior Department shortly before it opted to reevaluate the original decision. Their argument centers on the claim that the area is historically Patwin territory, not Pomo.

In contrast, national tribal leaders through COLT emphasize that the stakes extend far beyond regional rivalries or individual development interests. “As COLT recognized in its brief, the Department’s about-face has consequences for every tribe seeking to achieve economic self-sufficiency,” Davis reiterated.