The Cayuga Nation is taking the New York State Liquor Authority to federal court, claiming discrimination over a delayed liquor license application for one of its businesses.
Nation leaders filed the lawsuit this week, arguing that the SLA’s refusal to issue a license to Lakeside Enterprises—located on federally recognized tribal land—is both unlawful and discriminatory.
The Nation says it followed every legal step, including securing federal approval in 2022 for its own ordinance to regulate alcohol sales on tribal land. It already holds two active state-issued liquor licenses at other sites.
Despite that, the SLA preliminarily denied the latest application after nearly a year—citing vague concerns and imposing extra requirements not placed on non-tribal businesses. Even after a Nation representative appeared in person at the SLA’s request, the application was pulled from the agency’s September agenda without explanation and delayed again until late October.
In a statement, Nation representative Clint Halftown said the agency’s actions “threaten the Nation’s ability to provide for its citizens” and are based on “discriminatory assumptions.”
The lawsuit also points to broader issues at the SLA, where applicants across New York are facing long wait times and delays. But the Nation argues its treatment stands in contrast to the productive partnerships it has built with other state agencies.
The suit seeks an injunction and claims violations of the Equal Protection Clause, federal civil rights laws, and New York’s Human Rights Law.
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