Cherokees fight judge's ruling that allows rival Catawba tribe to build NC casino Joe Marusak, The Charlotte Observer May 22—The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Friday appealed a judge's ruling that let the Rock Hill-based Catawbas build a North Carolina casino. The Cherokee Nation also named the U.S. Department of Interior as a defendant in their notice of appeal filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. In a statement on Saturday, Principal Chief Richard Sneed said the judge noted the complexity of the case and how his ruling was "a close call." Sneed said his tribe still believes the Department of Interior "violated law in authorizing the Catawba casino, and our appeal is simply the next step in the process to ensure that justice is done."