Federal court favors county in tribal tax lawsuit

A federal judge has ruled that it is legal for public agencies to collect taxes from non-Indians who lease tribal land.

For three years, this newspaper has been following a lawsuit in the U.S. Central District Court of California brought by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians against Riverside County. That case closed last week when U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee ruled in favor of the county and a local water agency that joined the suit as a defendant.

“The county is pleased that the court carefully balanced the issues and determined that the tax is lawful and does not impair tribal s...