RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM STATE OF MICHIGAN IN THE SUPREME COURT FRED PAQUIN, Supreme Court No. 156823 Plaintiff-Appellant, Court of Appeals No. 334350 v Mackinac County Circuit Court No. 15-7789-CZ CITY OF ST. IGNACE, Defendant-Appellee, and ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL SCHUETTE, Intervening Defendant-Appellee. / INTERVENING DEFENDANT-APPELLEE ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL SCHUETTE’S SUPPLEMENTAL BRIEF Bill Schuette Attorney General Aaron D. Lindstrom (P72916) Solicitor General Counsel of Record B. Eric Restuccia (P49550) Chief Legal Counsel Heather S. Meingast (P55439) Assistant Attorney General Attorneys for Intervening Appellee Attorney General Bill Schuette P.O. Box 30212 Lansing, Michigan 48909 517-241-8403 Dated: September 25, 2018 RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Index of Authorities ....................................................................................................... ii Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Argument ....................................................................................................................... 1 I. Under the plain text of article 11, § 8, the government of the Sault Tribe is a “local . government,” and therefore Paquin’s federal conspiracy-to-defraud conviction prohibits him from holding local office. .................................................................................................................... 1 A. The covered-felony part of § 8 is not limited to governments “of this state.” ................................................................................................. 2 B. A tribe fits within the ordinary meaning of “local government.” ........... 4 II. Recognizing that a tribe is a type of local government advances the purpose of § 8 by preventing those who have been convicted of a felony that breaches the public trust while serving in government from holding office. .................................................................................................... 12 Conclusion and Relief Requested ................................................................................ 12 i RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM INDEX OF AUTHORITIES Page Cases Attorney General ex rel Eaves v State Bridge Comm, 277 Mich 373 (1936) ................................................................................................. 10 Coal of State Emp Unions v State, 498 Mich 312 (2015) ............................................................................................. 8, 12 MacArthur v San Juan Cty, 391 F Supp 2d 895 (D Utah, 2005) ............................................................................ 7 McDonald v Means, 309 F3d 530 (CA 9, 2002) ........................................................................................... 7 Merrion v Jicarilla Apache Tribe, 455 US 130 (1982) ...................................................................................................... 6 Michigan v Bay Mills Indian Community, 134 S Ct 2024 (2014) .................................................................................................. 8 People v Nash, 418 Mich 196 (1983) ................................................................................................... 4 People v Peltola, 489 Mich 174 (2011) ................................................................................................... 2 Puerto Rico v Sanchez Valle, 136 S Ct 1863 (2016) .............................................................................................. 5, 6 Santa Clara Pueblo v Martinez, 436 US 49 (1978) .................................................................................................... 5, 6 State Farm Fire & Cas Co v US ex rel. Rigsby, 137 S Ct 436 (2016) .................................................................................................... 3 Taxpayers of Michigan Against Casinos v State, 471 Mich 306 (2004) ................................................................................... 5, 9, 10, 11 Worcester v Georgia, 31 US 515 (1832) ........................................................................................................ 5 ii RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM Statutes DC Code § 1-201.2 .......................................................................................................... 8 DC Code §§ 1-201.01–1-207.71 (2013) .......................................................................... 8 MCL 124.502(e) .............................................................................................................. 7 MCL 124.504 .................................................................................................................. 7 MCL 141.1053(j) ............................................................................................................ 7 MCL 333.13704(1).......................................................................................................... 7 MCL 408.101 .................................................................................................................. 7 Other Authorities Constitution & Bylaws of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, art IV ................................................................................................................................ 5 Matthew L.M. Fletcher et al, Indian Country Law Enforcement and Cooperative Public Safety Agreements, 89 Mich BJ 42 (2010) ................................................................................................. 7 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2007) .......................................................... 5 OAG, 2013-2014, No. 7273 ............................................................................................ 7 Rules Mich Admin Code, R 29.2163(h).................................................................................... 7 Constitutional Provisions Const 1963, art 11, § 8 ......................................................................................... passim Const 1963, art 3, § 5 ................................................................................................... 10 Const 1963, art 4, § 29 ............................................................................................. 9, 10 Const 1963, art 7, § 27 ................................................................................................... 9 US Const, art I, § 8, cl 17............................................................................................... 8 iii RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM INTRODUCTION Both the text and purpose of article 11, § 8 support the Court of Appeals’ conclusion that Paquin’s elected position on the Sault Tribe’s Board of Directors and his employment as Police Chief for the Sault Tribe were positions of “elective office or . employment in local . government,” as contemplated by § 8. The Court of Appeals correctly affirmed the trial court’s July 26, 2016 opinion and order dismissing Paquin’s complaint. As a result, this Court should deny leave. ARGUMENT I. Under the plain text of article 11, § 8, the government of the Sault Tribe is a “local . government,” and therefore Paquin’s federal conspiracy-to-defraud conviction prohibits him from holding local office. Article 11, § 8 of Michigan’s Constitution consists of two components, an ineligibility component and a covered-felony component: [1] A person is ineligible for election or appointment to any state or local elective office of this state and ineligible to hold a position in public employment in this state that is policy-making or that has discretionary authority over public assets [2] if, within the immediately preceding 20 years, the person was convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust and the conviction was related to the person’s official capacity while the person was holding any elective office or position of employment in local, state, or federal government. [Const 1963, art 11, § 8 (emphasis added).] While the ineligibility component is limited to governments “of this state” or “in this state,” the covered-felony component does not include those limitations but rather applies to any local government. Because a tribe is a local government, § 8 applies to Paquin. 1 RECEIVED by MSC 9/25/2018 11:53:20 AM A. The covered-felony part of § 8 is not limited to governments “of this state.” In his supplemental brief, Paquin argues that this constitutional provision must be strictly construed and that applying such a construction leads to the conclusion that the phrase “local . government” includes only local units of government of the State of Michigan or possibly of another State. (Paquin’s Suppl Br, pp 4–6.) But this construction ignores § 8’s plain (and broad) language. As just noted, § 8 consists of two parts, an ineligibility component and a covered-felony component. While the ineligibility component focuses on preventing certain felons from holding office in Michigan government, the covered-felony component covers a category of conduct, regardless of whether that conduct occurred in Michigan government or in some other government. And while the text of the ineligibility component limits its prohibition on election or appointment to “any state or local elective office of this state” and its prohibition on public employment to “employment in this state,” the text of the covered-felony component does not limit