California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians

California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1987 that significantly impacted Native American gaming rights. The case centered on whether California could regulate gambling activities on the reservations of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

The Supreme Court ruled that California's interest in regulating the tribes' bingo and card games was not compelling enough to override their tribal sovereignty. This decision established that Native American tribes could conduct gaming operations on their lands, even in states where such activities were otherwise restricted, as long as the state did not expressly forbid them. This ruling paved the way for the expansion of Indian gaming nationwide.12