EDITORIAL JACKPOT! INDIAN GAMING RULING MAKES GOVERNMENT MORE TRANSPARENT, HONEST.MUCH to its credit, a narrowly divided California Supreme Court has patched a gaping gap·ing adj. Deep and wide open: a gaping wound; a gaping hole. gap  ing·ly adv.Adj. hole in the state's campaign-finance laws. Prior to the court's ruling last week, California's more than 100 Indian tribes INDIAN TRIBE. A separate and distinct community or body of the aboriginal Indian race of men found in the United States. 2. Such a tribe, situated within the boundaries of a state, and exercising the powers of government and, sovereignty, under the national operated more or less outside the rules and protections of campaign-finance laws. They could give candidates or initiative campaigns as much money as they wished, and disclose their contributions to the public whenever and however they pleased -- or, if they preferred, not at all. Considering that many California tribes are awash Awash (ä`wäsh), river, E Ethiopia, rising near Addis Ababa and flowing c.500 mi (800 km) to a swampy lake near the Djibouti border. The Awash Valley is important agriculturally and has hydroelectric plants. in casino money, and that they're regularly seeking new ways to expand their gaming operations, the potential for abuse was massive. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. their own estimates, the tribes have poured more than $200 million into state politics over the past decade. But when the state's Fair Political Practices Commission demanded that the tribes disclose their contributions, they resisted, claiming sovereign immunity The legal protection that prevents a sovereign state or person from being sued without consent. Sovereign immunity is a judicial doctrine that prevents the government or its political subdivisions, departments, and agencies from being sued without its consent. . As sovereign nations, they argued, they're not obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to follow state law. But foreign governments aren't entitled to participate in domestic elections. So if the tribes want to contribute to state campaigns, they should do so on the same terms and under the same obligations as everyone else. Now, thanks to the state Supreme Court, they will have to do just that. And that ought to make state government a little more transparent and honest, especially in its dealings with the gaming industry. |
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