California Appeals Court Ruling Threatens North Fork Tribe’s Madera Casino

^{A rendering from over ten years ago of the originally proposed North Fork Rancheria casino project in Madera, California. (Image: courtesy of North Fork Casino Environmental Impact Statement)}

The Fifth District Court of Appeals in Fresno, California ruled in favor of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians on Tuesday, jeopardizing plans of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build a casino near the city of Madera. 

The North Fork casino proposal has been in the works for nearly two decades, as the tribe first began seeking approvals for the project in 2005.

Voters Rejected Tribal Compact in 2014

The legal dispute stems from events that began in 2012. That’s when the North Fork tribe signed a compact with former California Governor Jerry Brown, in which Brown concurred with the Department of the Interior that an off-reservation casino would be in the best interest of the tribe. 

The California Legislature ratified that compact in 2013, but California voters balked when asked to approve the tribal compact, with nearly 61% of voters rejecting Proposition 48 the following year. 

That outcome led to a 2016 lawsuit filed by the Chukchansi, who argued that Gov. Brown’s concurrence was now void due to the voter rejection on Proposition 48. But North Fork has disagreed, arguing that the vote – and Brown’s concurrence – did not change anything about the tribe’s federal rights to operate a casino.

In 2024, a Madera County Superior Court judge sided with the Chukchansi, agreeing that the failure of Proposition 48 voided Brown’s concurrence. While North Fork appealed the ruling, last week’s appellate court ruling once again went against it.

“We conclude the voter’s rejection of Proposition 48 included an implied annulment of the Governor’s concurrence that rendered the concurrence void ab initio,” the appellate court’s ruling stated. “The voters’ intent to reject class III gaming on the Madera Site strongly favors treating the concurrence as void ab initio rather than in effect until the election.”

North Fork Says Federal Approval for Project Trumps State Vote

North Fork can still appeal the case further and appeal to the California Supreme Court to take the case. However, tribal representatives have suggested that they plan to go ahead with their casino ambitions regardless of how this case plays out.

“The state appeals court ruled on a narrow question of state law and expressly did not consider what effect, if any, the 2014 voter referendum had on the 2012 and 2016 federal approvals of the North Fork’s project as a matter of federal law,” representatives said in a statement to ABC30 Action News. “Picayune Rancheria previously challenged each of those approvals in the federal courts and lost conclusively, providing North Fork the right to proceed with its project.”

Construction on the North Fork Mono Casino in Madera is currently underway, with the tribe targeting an opening as early as summer 2026 right along Highway 99. Plans for the resort include a 100,000-square-foot housing 2,000 slot machines, 40 table games, multiple dining venues, and a 200-room hotel. 

Development of the casino is being supported by the Las Vegas-based Station Casinos, who owns many off-Strip properties including the upscale Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, and Durango casino-resorts.

Lawsuits over tribal casinos have become increasingly common, especially after the Department of the Interior approved a slew of projects in California, Oregon, and other states in the final days of the administration of President Joe Biden. Additionally, tribal groups in California have also engaged in legal battles with the state’s cardrooms, claiming the commercial venues are illegally offering card games like blackjack.