Tenth Circuit – Page 20

Oklahoma v. Hobia Cert Petition

March 27, 2015Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

Here:

Petition for a Writ of Certiorari (as filed)

Question presented:

Does Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 134 S.Ct. 2024 (2014), require the dismissal of a State’s suit to prevent tribal officers from conducting gaming that would be unlawful under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and a state-tribal compact when

• the suit for declaratory and injunctive relief has been brought against tribal officials – not the tribe;

• the gaming will occur in Indian country, on the land of another tribe; and

• the state-tribal compact’s arbitration provision does not require arbitration before filing suit?

Lower court materials here.

Tenth Circuit Briefs in Flute v. United States — Sand Creek Massacre Trust Accounting Claims

March 27, 2015December 23, 2015Matthew L.M. Fletcher4 Comments

Here:

Flute Opening Brief

US Answer Brief

Flute Reply Brief

Lower court materials here.

Materials on Alleged Extortion by Ute TERO Office

January 26, 2015Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are the relevant materials submitted in Ute Indian Tribe v. State of Utah (D. Utah):

238 Duschene Cty Counterclaim

271 Ute Motion to Dismiss Counterclaim

294 Duschene Cty Opposition to Motion to Dismiss

306 Ute Reply in Support of Motion to Dismiss

417 Ute Motion for Summary J

470 Duschene Cty Response to Motion for Summary J

481 DCT Order on Motion to Dismiss

The order:

At a hearing on January 10, 2013, with all parties present, this matter came before the Court on a Rule 12(b) motion filed by the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Dkt. 271, to dismiss the counterclaims filed by Duchesne County, Dkt. 239. The Court, having considered the parties’ briefs and oral arguments, rules that Count 1 of the counter-complaint is dismissed with leave to Duchesne County to file an amended pleading within 20 days; the racketeering claims under Count 2 are dismissed for being facially deficient and failing to state a cause of action; and the Court denies the motion to dismiss the remaining claims under Counts 2 through 5 of the counterclaim.

713 Duschene Cty Supplement

771 Duschene Cty Supplement

My sense is that Judge Jenkins is waiting for the Tenth Circuit to decide other matters to make a decision on the tribe’s motion for summary judgment on Duchesne County’s counterclaim. That appeal involves the tribe’s claim that the state and counties are illegally prosecuting tribal members under state law.

In the motion for summary judgment, the tribe is arguing that Article III courts have no jurisdiction, or in the alternative the county must first exhaust tribal remedies.

Tenth Circuit Briefs in Harvey v. Ute Indian Tribe (Federal Removal; Tribal Jurisdiction)

January 21, 2015February 17, 2015Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here:

Appellant Brief

Appellee Brief

Reply Brief

Lower court materials here.

Tenth Circuit Issues Amended Opinion in Oklahoma v. Hobia

December 23, 2014December 23, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher3 Comments

Here. Like its earlier decision, today’s amended opinion concludes that the district court erroneously granted the State’s request for a preliminary injunction and held that the State’s complaint, which alleged class III gaming activities on non-Indian lands, failed to state a claim under IGRA.

The Tenth Circuit also reiterated that arbitration provisions in the state’s gaming compact effectively barred Oklahoma from suing tribal officials in federal court for purported violations of the compact. The court remanded the matter to the Northern District of Oklahoma with instructions to vacate the preliminary injunction and to dismiss Oklahoma’s complaint with prejudice.

Also, the court denied the petition for en banc review.

Panel materials are here.

Tenth Circuit Briefs in Appeal of Conviction for Defrauding Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah

December 2, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are the briefs in United States v. Zander:

Zander Opening Brief

US Brief

Zander Reply

Tenth Circuit Reverses Oklahoma v. Hobia Relying on Bay Mills

November 10, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the opinion:

CA10 Opinion

Lower court supplemental briefs here.

Briefs are here.

Lower court materials here.

National Labor Relations Board Reaffirms Its Jurisdiction over Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the order and materials:

Board Decision

SCIT Motion to Expedite

SCIT Amended Motion to Expedite

SCIT Supplemental Brief

You may recall this matter is on remand from the Sixth Circuit.

Tenth Circuit Refuses to Vacate Conviction under Indian Status Theory

October 28, 2014October 28, 2014Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the opinion in Nowlin v. United States.

An excerpt:

Our case law employs a two-part test to determine who is an “Indian” under § 1153: a person must (1) have “some Indian blood” and (2) be “recognized as an Indian by a tribe or by the federal government.” United States v. Prentiss, 273 F.3d 1277, 1280 (10th Cir. 2001). Mr. Nowlin argues that the first half of this test was not met. But his plea colloquy established that his mother is an enrolled member of the Shoshone tribe. And, as a previous panel recognized in an unrelated case involving Mr. Nowlin, the fact that one of his parents was “clearly identified as an Indian” is enough to satisfy this part of the test. United States v. Nowlin, 555 F. App’x 820, 823 (10th Cir. 2014) (quoting United States v. Maggi, 598 F.3d 1073, 1077 (9th Cir. 2010)) (internal quotation mark omitted).

Briefs later, when we get them.