A federal judge has refused to reconsider a ruling that bars the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska from building a casino in Carter Lake, Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Justice asked Judge Charles Wolle of the Southern District of Iowa to reconsider.

In November, Wolle reversed a December 2007 decision by the National Indian Gaming Commission that would have allowed the casino to be built.

Wolle wrote that the commission was not authorized to approve a casino for the 5-acre site because an agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the state of Iowa in 2003 took precedence. The agreement said the land would not be used for gambling purposes.

The Justice Department had argued that Wolle misinterpreted the agreement.