Construction of the North Fork Mono Casino and Resort in Madera County will continue after a California state court loss. Work at the site near Highway 99 is still moving forward, even after the state Supreme Court let a lower court ruling against the project stand.
The legal fight is about whether the casino still has valid state approval. California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled in December 2025 that the governor’s approval of the project was invalid because voters rejected Proposition 48 in 2014. The state Supreme Court later declined to review that ruling.
Tribe says federal approvals still allow the project to move forward
North Fork’s position is that the project can still move ahead under federal law. The tribe argues that its right to game on the Madera site is based on federal approvals issued in 2012 and 2016, and that those approvals have already been upheld in final federal court decisions.
On that basis, construction is continuing. The land for the project has been held in federal trust for gaming since 2012, and the tribe has continued to treat those federal approvals as the key legal foundation for the casino.
State ruling adds uncertainty around opening
The latest court result does not appear to stop construction directly, but it does create more uncertainty around the casino’s path to opening. The project has faced legal and political challenges for more than two decades, with the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians remaining one of its main opponents.
North Fork has still said it plans to open the casino this year. Once complete, the project is expected to include more than 2,400 slot machines, 40 table games and several dining options, with tribal leaders saying it could create about 1,000 jobs in Madera County.
Project has been in the works for more than 20 years
The North Fork Rancheria began pursuing the Madera casino project in 2003. Federal officials approved the 305-acre site for gaming in 2012, and the tribe broke ground in 2024 after years of legal and political disputes.
The project has been delayed for many years by court cases and political fights. Even with this latest ruling, construction is still going ahead.
