The next round of briefs in the Florida sports betting case arrived Monday, shedding light on the federal government’s approach.
The federal government, in representing the Department of Interior, filed its answering brief in the appeal over the 2021 gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis. This brief might be a little awkward on the surface; after the Seminole Tribe filed an appeal over the District Court’s denial of their motion to intervene, the Tribe also filed an amicus brief supporting the federal government’s appeal.
Here, the feds break off from that alliance and argue that the Tribe is not an indispensable party to the litigation.
Now there are policy reasons why the federal government makes such an argument. Most importantly, the federal government is arguing its own case, and it is essentially advocating that what is between themselves and West Flagler Associates is just between them, and they are capable of adequately representing the interests of the Seminole Tribe without the Tribe being a party.