Federal Circuit Sitting En Banc Declares Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act Unconstitutional

Here is the opinion in In re Tam:

In re Tam

An excerpt:

Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act bars the Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) from registering scandalous, immoral, or disparaging marks. 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a). The government enacted this law—and defends it today— because it disapproves of the messages conveyed by disparaging marks. It is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment that the government may not penalize private speech merely because it disapproves of the message it conveys. That principle governs even when the government’s message-discriminatory penalty is less than a prohibition.

Courts have been slow to appreciate the expressive power of trademarks. Words—even a single word—can be powerful. Mr. Simon Shiao Tam named his band THE SLANTS to make a statement about racial and cultural issues in this country. With his band name, Mr. Tam conveys more about our society than many volumes of undisputedly protected speech. Another rejected mark, STOP THE ISLAMISATION OF AMERICA, proclaims that Islamisation is undesirable and should be stopped. Many of the marks rejected as disparaging convey hurtful speech that harms members of oft-stigmatized communities. But the First Amendment protects even hurtful speech.

The government cannot refuse to register disparaging marks because it disapproves of the expressive messages conveyed by the marks. It cannot refuse to register marks because it concludes that such marks will be disparaging to others. The government regulation at issue amounts to viewpoint discrimination, and under the strict scrutiny review appropriate for government regulation of message or viewpoint, we conclude that the disparagement proscription of § 2(a) is unconstitutional. Because the government has offered no legitimate interests justifying § 2(a), we conclude that it would also be unconstitutional under the intermediate scrutiny traditionally applied to regulation of the commercial aspects of speech. 

 

California COA Published Opinion in ICWA Notice Case (Chumash)

Here is the opinion in In re Natalie A.:

B261303A

Status Report on Cobell Distributions

Here is the pleading in Estate of Cobell v. Jewell (D. D.C.):

2015-12-18 4163 Plaintiffs_ Report to the Court Regarding the Status of Historical Accounting and

Federal Court Rejects South Dakota Effort to Quickly Prevail in Dispute with Flandreau over Liquor Regs and Casino Taxes

Here are the materials in Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe v. Gerlach (D. S.D.);:

38 Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings

42 Flandreau Opposition

46 Reply

50 Flandreau Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings

51 Opposition to Flandreau Motion

54 Flandreau Reply

59 DCT Order

We posted the complaint here.

Garrett Epps on the Limits of the Constitution to Govern the US

Very interesting essay, frankly acknowledging the limitations of both the Constitution to govern and the Supreme Court to decide matters involving Indian country. 

From the Atlantic, here is “Can the Constitution Govern America’s Sprawling Empire?”

Kansas’ Challenge to Quapaw Trust Land Acquisition Dismissed

Here are the materials in State of Kansas ex rel. Schmidt v. National Indian Gaming Commission (D. Kan.):

43 US Motion to Dismiss

51 Quapaw Motion to Dismiss

56 Opposition to 51

60 Opposition to 43

68 Quapaw Reply

88 US Reply

91 DCT Order

Nooksack Tribe Countersues Proposed Disenrollees on Voting Rights

Here is the pleading from Belmont v. Roberts (Nooksack Tribal Court):

Def Answer and Countrclm to Pl Complaint

Ninth Circuit Denies En Banc Review in Pauma Compact Dispute, Issues Amended Order

Here is the amended order in Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians v. State of California.

En banc petitions here:

Cal En Banc Petition

Pauma En Banc Petition

Federal Court Issues Order in Penobscot River Dispute

Here is the opinion in Penobscot Nation v. Mills (D. Me.):

161 DCT Order

Briefs here.

Cert Petition (Yes, Another One) in Challenge to Crow Water Settlement

Here is the petition in Crow Allottees v. Dept. of Justice:

Crow Allottees Cert Petition

Question presented:

Can the water rights owned by individual Crow Indian allottees – which this Court in United States v. Powers, 305 U.S. 527 (1939) recognized as distinct individual rights, separate from water rights possessed by the Crow Tribe – be awarded to the Crow Tribe in negotiations between the United States, the tribe, and the State of Montana?
Further, do the Montana Courts have jurisdiction to decide these questions of federal law related to allottees’ rights?
Lower court materials: briefs, Mont SCT Opinion.
Related federal court materials here.