Star Tribune to file amicus brief in Indian casino audit cases

On Wednesday, December 12, the Minneapolis Star Tribune requested the state court's permission to file a brief "as amicus curiae in conjunction with the tribal casino audit litigation" arising from Press/ON's Data Practices Act request for Indian casino audits held by the State. The Star Tribune has also requested the audits.

Star Tribune attorney Mark Anfinson faxed the newspaper's request to participate in upcoming hearings as amicus curaie ("friend of the court") to Judge Louise Bjorkman, who is the Ramsey County Judge hearing the lawsuits filed by the Mille Lacs Band and the Prairie Island Indian Community against the State. Both lawsuits seek to bar the release of the Indian casino audits. Release of those audits is mandated under state law, the Data Practices Act, according to the Attorney General's September 14th ruling on the issue.

In his December 12th letter to Judge Bjorkman, Anfinson writes that the Star Tribune seeks involvement "in cases involving important issues of public policy," as this case appears to.

In a hearing on November 30th, Press/ON publisher Bill Lawrence was allowed by the court to enter the cases as an intervener. He will be submitting briefs on Monday, December 17th. If the Ramsey County court accepts the Star Tribune' request to file amicus briefs, those briefs will also be due on Monday.

Attorneys involved in the case have asked that the deadline for responses to the newspapers' filings be set in early January, and that oral arguments be scheduled in late January 2002.