A Massachusetts tribe has suspended its efforts to get the federal government to designate 321 acres as sovereign tribal land.
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says it made the decision in consultation with the U.S. Department of Interior, which was expected to render a decision on the tribe's request by Tuesday.
The Cape Cod-based tribe says the move preserves its right to seek the designation later.
The tribe wants the department to grant land in trust status to 170 acres in Mashpee and 151 acres in Taunton.
The department declared the lands the tribe's reservation in 2015, but a federal judge rejected that decision in 2016 after homeowners in Taunton, where the tribe proposes building a resort casino, sued.
The tribe says it's focused for now on appealing the judge's decision.
