Shinnecock Brief
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08-1194-cv(L) 08-1195-cv(CON) United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit STATE OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK STATE RACING AND WAGERING BOARD, AND NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, Plaintiffs-Appellees, TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON, Consolidated-Plaintiff-Appellee, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ADDED TO THIS ACTION AS AN INVOLUNTARY PLAINTIFF BY COURT ORDER DATED 12/22/03, Plaintiff, – v. – SHINNECOCK INDIAN NATION, LANCE A. GUMBS, RANDALL KING, KAREN HUNTER, AND FREDERICK C. BESS, SHINNECOCK TRIBE, Defendants-Appellants. CHARLES K. SMITH, II, JAMES W. ELEAZER, JR., FRED BESS, AND PHILIP D. BROWN, Defendants.1 ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK (Continued on inside cover) 1 Official Caption required by notice from the Clerk of the Second Circuit dated May 7, 2008. (Continued from outside cover) BRIEF OF DEFENDANT-APPELLANT THE SHINNECOCK INDIAN NATION AND ALL OTHER DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS Of Counsel: CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON Evan A. Davis LLP Christopher H. Lunding, Senior Counsel One Liberty Plaza Ashika Singh New York, New York 10006 (212) 225-2000 Attorneys for all Defendants-Appellants TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .......................................................................... iv PRELIMINARY STATEMENT .................................................................... 1 JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT ............................................................... 2 STATEMENT OF ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW ........................... 3 STATEMENT OF THE CASE ....................................................................... 4 STATEMENT OF MATERIAL FACTS ....................................................... 8 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ............................................................. 29 ARGUMENT .................................................................................................. 33 I. THIS COURT MUST DETERMINE WHETHER FEDERAL SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION EXISTS IN THESE ACTIONS PRIOR TO REACHING THE MERITS OF THE JUDGMENT BELOW ......................................................................... 33 A. The Town Action ...................................................................... 35 B. The State Action. ...................................................................... 40 II. THESE ACTIONS ARE BARRED BY TRIBAL SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY ......................................................................................... 46 A. The Sherrill Case Has No Effect On Tribal Sovereign Immunity 52 B. The Nation Did Not Waive Sovereign Immunity By Removal . 53 C. The Doctrine Of Ex Parte Young Has No Application Here ..... 56 D. Congress Has Not Abrogated The Nation’s Sovereign Immunity ................................................................................... 61 -i- III. THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN HOLDING THAT THE NATION’S ABORIGINAL TITLE TO WESTWOODS WAS EXTINGUISHED IN THE 17TH CENTURY ......................... 66 A. Standard Of Review ................................................................... 66 B. The State And Town Failed To Demonstrate Extinguishment Of The Nation’s Aboriginal Title To Westwoods By Clear And Convincing Evidence ................................................................ 70 C. The Nation’s Possession Of Westwoods Is Entitled To A Presumption Of Continuance And No Record Evidence Contradicts This Presumption ................................................... 85 i. Subsequent Acts By The Town Presented As Evidence Of Extinguishment Did Not Operate To Extinguish The Nation’s Aboriginal Title To Westwoods ......................... 90 IV. LAND HELD BY AN INDIAN TRIBE BY VIRTUE OF UNEXTINGUISHED ABORIGINAL TITLE IS SOVEREIGN INDIAN LAND IN ITS EARLIEST AND MOST FUNDAMENTAL SENSE TO WHICH STATE AND LOCAL LAW DOES NOT RUN ............................................................ 92 A. State And Local Laws Generally Are Not Applicable To Indian Lands Or, In Particular, To Westwoods ..................................... 97 V. THE JUDGMENT AND INJUNCTION SHOULD BE VACATED BECAUSE IGRA PREEMPTS THE STATE AND TOWN LAWS UPON WHICH THEY ARE BASED AND BECAUSE THE JUDGMENT AND INJUNCTION ARE MOOT DUE TO CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES ................ 99 A. As An Indian Tribe Federally Acknowledged By The Department Of The Interior, The Nation Will Be Subject To IGRA, Which Occupies The Field Of Indian Gaming ............... 102 B. The Nation Has No Current Intention To Construct A Gaming Facility At Westwoods And Intends To Negotiate For A Gaming Location With The State .............................................. 105 -ii- C. Due To These Changes In Circumstances, The Injunction Is Moot And Must Be Vacated ...................................................... 106 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 109 -iii- TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases Adams v. Suozzi, 433 F.3d 220 (2d Cir. 2005) ............................................................................ 35 Ala.-Coushetta Tribe of Tx. v. United States, 2000 WL 1013532 (Fed. Cl. June 19, 2000) .................................................. 71 Ala.-Coushetta Tribe of Tx. v. United States, 28 Fed.Cl. 95 (Fed. Cl. 1993) ......................................................................... 89 Alaska v. Native Vill. of Venetie Tribal Gov't, 522 U.S. 520 (1998) ........................................................................................ 95 Bank of the United States v. Owens, 27 U.S. 527 (1829) .......................................................................................... 79 Banker v. Nighswander, Martin & Mitchell, 37 F.3d 866 (2d Cir. 1994) .............................................................................. 69 Barhold v. Rodriguez, 863 F.2d 233 (2d Cir. 1988) ............................................................................ 36 Bassett v. Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, 204 F.3d 343 (2d Cir. 2000) ............................................................................ 46 Beneficial Nat’l Bank v. Anderson, 539 U.S. 1 (2003) ............................................................................................ 39, 40, 42, 44 Bess v. Spitzer, 459 F. Supp. 2d 191 (E.D.N.Y. 2006) ............................................................ 95 Blackmer v. United States, 284 U.S. 421 (1932) ........................................................................................ 76 Blatchford v. Native Vill. of Noatak, 501 U.S. 775 (1991) ........................................................................................ 46 -iv- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of the United States, 466 U.S. 485 (1984) ........................................................................................ 67 Bottomly v. Passamaquoddy Tribe, 599 F.2d 1061 (1st Cir. 1979) ......................................................................... 49 Brown v. Francis, 75 F.3d 860 (3d Cir. 1996) .............................................................................. 46 Brown v. Huger, 62 U.S. 305 (1858) .......................................................................................... 82 Campbell Soup Co. v. ConAgra, Inc., 977 F.2d 86 (3d Cir. 1992) .............................................................................. 106 Cella v. Togum Constructeur Ensembleier en Industrie Alimentaire, 173 F.3d 909 (3d Cir. 1999) ............................................................................ 37-38 Chayoon v. Chao, 355 F.3d 141 (2d Cir. 2004) ............................................................................ 46, 48, 56 Cherokee Nation of Okla. v. Babbitt, 117 F.3d 1489 (D.C. Cir. 1997) ...................................................................... 48 Christian Legal Soc. Chapter of Univ. of Cal. v. Martinez, 130 S.Ct. 2971 (2010) ..................................................................................... 68 City of N.Y. v. Golden Feather Smoke Shop, 597 F.3d 115 (2d Cir. 2010) ............................................................................ 7 City of Rome, N.Y. v. Verizon Commc’ns, Inc., 362 F.3d 168 (2d Cir. 2004) ............................................................................ 39 City of Sherrill, N.Y. v. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y., 544 U.S. 197 (2005) ....................................................................................... 51-52, 99 Clark v. Smith, 38 U.S. 195 (1839) .......................................................................................... 83 Cole v. Schenley Indus., Inc., 563 F.2d 35 (2d Cir. 1977) .............................................................................. 37 -v- Collins v. Streitz, 95 F.2d 430 (9th Cir. 1938) ............................................................................ 88 Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Or. v. United States, 177 Ct.Cl. 184, 1966 WL 8893 (Ct. Cl. 1966) ............................................... 89 Conn. Bar Ass’n v. U.S., --F.3d--, 2010 WL 3465650 (2d Cir. 2010) .................................................... 104 Cory v. White, 457 U.S. 85 (1982) .......................................................................................... 57 County of Oneida, N.Y. v. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y., 470 U.S. 226 (1985) ........................................................................................ 71, 97 Cunningham v. BHP Petroleum Great Britain PLC, 427 F.3d 1238 (10th Cir. 2005) .....................................................................