State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney
Citation | 836 P.2d 1169,251 Kan. 559 |
Decision Date | 10 July 1992 |
Docket Number | No. 67622,67622 |
Parties | STATE of Kansas, ex rel., Robert T. STEPHAN, Attorney General, Petitioner, v. The Honorable Joan FINNEY, Governor for the State of Kansas, Respondent. |
Court | United States State Supreme Court of Kansas |
Syllabus by the Court
1. Mandamus is a proper remedy where the essential purpose of the proceeding is to obtain an authoritative interpretation of the law for the guidance of public officials in their administration of the public business.
2. The federal government and that of the State of Kansas are divided into three branches, i.e., legislative, executive, and judicial, each of which is given under its respective constitution the powers and functions appropriate to it.
3. Generally speaking, the legislative power is the power to make, amend, or repeal laws; the executive power is the power to enforce the laws; and the judicial power is the power to interpret and apply the laws to actual controversies.
4. In an original proceeding in mandamus and quo warranto wherein the State, on the relation of the Attorney General, challenges the authority of the Governor to enter into a binding tribal-state compact with the Kickapoo Nation pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq. [1988], it is held: (1) The proceeding herein is an appropriate vehicle for the determination of the issue presented; and (2) the Governor had the authority to enter into negotiations with the tribe, but in the absence of an appropriate delegation of power by the Kansas Legislature or legislative approval of the compact, the Governor has no power to bind the State to the terms thereof.
Robert T. Stephan, Atty. Gen., argued the cause for petitioner.
William B. McCormick, Sp. Counsel to the governor, argued the cause for respondent Governor Joan Finney.
Dan Watkins, Lawrence, was on the brief for amicus curiae Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska.
Lance W. Burr, Lawrence, was on the brief for amicus curiae Kickapoo Nation in Kansas.
Harold T. Walker, City Atty., was on the brief for amicus curiae City of Kansas City, Kansas.
Robert L. Pirtle of Pirtle, Morisset, Schlosser & Ayer, Seattle, Wash., was on the brief for amicus curiae Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians.
This is an original action in mandamus and quo warranto wherein the Attorney General of Kansas challenges the authority of the Governor of Kansas to negotiate and enter into a binding tribal-state compact under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) (25 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq. [1988]. The compact in issue authorizes casino gambling on the Kickapoo Indian Reservation located within the State of Kansas, said gambling operation to be monitored by the State of Kansas. Additional issues involve whether or not this original action is an appropriate vehicle for the determination of the central issue.
At this point a statement relative to the enactment and provisions of IGRA is appropriate to establish the background giving rise to this litigation. IGRA became law on October 17, 1988. See United States Senate Bill No. 555. The bill was referred to the Select Committee on Indian Affairs. The Committee's report filed August 3, 1988, (S.Rep. No. 446, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 1-6, reprinted in 1988 U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 3071-3076) contains an in-depth discussion of the development and purpose of the Act. The following is excerpted therefrom:
II gaming and an oversight role with respect to class III.
....
"Since the Seminole Tribe opened its game and succeeded in court, over 100 bingo games have been started on Indian lands in states where bingo is otherwise legal. As established in testimony presented to the Committee, it was determined that collectively, these games generate more than $100 million in annual revenues to tribes. Indian tribal elected officials demonstrated to the Committee that bingo revenues have enabled tribes, like lotteries and other games have done for State and local governments, to provide a wider range of government services to tribal citizens and reservation residents than would otherwise have been possible. For various reasons, not all tribes can engage in profitable gaming operations. However, for those tribes that have entered into the business of business, the income often means the difference between an adequate governmental program and a skeletal program that is totally dependent on Federal funding.
....
....
In order to place the primary issue before us within a meaningful context the procedure for establishing a tribal-state compact must be set forth in some detail. If a tribe seeks to establish Class III games on its reservation, it must first pass an ordinance to that effect which must be approved by the Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. IGRA then sets forth, in pertinent part, the following procedures:
....
"(7)(A) The United States district courts shall have jurisdiction over--
(i) any cause of action initiated by an Indian tribe arising from the failure of a State to enter into...
To continue reading
Request your trial-
Stand Up for Cal.! v. State
...some outside regulation, provided it was done by the federal government. (Id . at p. 59.)8 For example, in State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney (1992) 251 Kan. 559, 836 P.2d 1169, the Kansas Supreme Court determined the Kansas Governor could negotiate tribal-state compacts, but had no power to b......
-
Seminole Tribe Florida v. Florida
...by IGRA and an officer (indeed, only an officer) can negotiate. In fact, the only case cited by the Court, State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney, 251 Kan. 559, 836 P.2d 1169 (1992), makes that distinction abundantly Finally, one must judge the Court's purported inference by stepping back to ask w......
-
State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney
...legislative approval of the compact, the Governor had no power to bind the State to the terms thereof. State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney, 251 Kan. 559, 583, 836 P.2d 1169 (1992) (Finney I). On March 4, 1993, the Kansas Tribal-State Gaming Compact Act (KTSGCA) was enacted into law. The KTSGCA ......
-
State ex rel. Tomasic v. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan.
...warranto is an appropriate procedure to question the constitutionality of a statute. [Citation omitted.]' " State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney, 251 Kan. 559, 567, 836 P.2d 1169 (1992) (quoting State ex rel. Stephan v. Kansas House of Representatives, 236 Kan. 45, 52, 687 P.2d 622 [1984] ). Sta......
-
Separation of Powers: Is There a Cause for Concern?
...Kansas Const., art. 2, § 1. See, e.g., VanSickle v. Shanahan, 212 Kan. 426, 439-40, 511 P. 2d 223 (1973); State ex rel. Stephan v. Finney, 251 Kan. 559, 577-78, 836 P.2d 1169 (1992). State ex rel. Stephan v. Kansas House of Representatives, 236 Kan. 45, 59, 687 P.2d 622 (1984) [3] Kansas Co......