Speaking Rock employs hundreds of people and is one of the Tiguas’ main revenue sources for tribal health, housing and education programs. The stakes are high for the tribe, and for El Paso. “Why would it make sense to enlist federal district courts to police all these aspects of gaming? It just seems to me like that would be an odd system,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett said. Several of the justices noted that El Paso federal judges have expressed frustration with the current system that has led to the state of Texas regularly turning to the courts to determine even minute details of operations at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, where the Tiguas offer traditional bingo and electronic machines that resemble casino-style slot machines and are based on bingo principles. The arguments focused largely on nuanced legal questions, and the justices gave little hint on how they might rule when they decide the case this spring. Department of Justice spent just over 90 minutes in oral arguments before the high court. Lawyers for the Tiguas, the state and the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, capping a three-decade legal battle with the state of Texas over whether the tribe can offer some type of gambling on its land. El Paso’s Tigua Indians finally got their day before the U.S.
