MacDonald v. Navajo Nation ex rel. Rothstein

6 Navajo Rptr. 290
CourtNavajo Nation Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 8, 1990
DocketNo. A-CV-32-89
StatusPublished

This text of 6 Navajo Rptr. 290 (MacDonald v. Navajo Nation ex rel. Rothstein) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navajo Nation Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacDonald v. Navajo Nation ex rel. Rothstein, 6 Navajo Rptr. 290 (navajo 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion delivered by

TSO, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from orders of the Window Rock District Court, made pursuant to 2 N.T.C. § 1982, denying motions to quash investigative subpoenas and requiring Peter MacDonald Sr. and his wife, Wanda MacDonald, to produce certain documents. The appeal is accepted pursuant to 7 N.T.C. § 801(b).

I. THE CASE BEFORE THE DISTRICT COURT

In March of 1989, the Navajo Tribal Council enacted legislation creating the Office of Special Prosecutor and providing powers and authority for that official to undertake civil and criminal action against certain public officials where they have “committed a violation of any federal or state criminal law or any law or regulation of the Navajo Nation, or committed any action upon which the Navajo Nation may have a cause of action.” 2 N.T.C. § 2021. That legislation, which we call the Special Prosecutor Act, is designed to deal with official misconduct in public office.

When the Attorney General of the Navajo Nation “receives information sufficient to constitute grounds to investigate,” he must undertake a preliminary investigation. If he finds there are “reasonable grounds to believe that further investigation or prosecution is warranted,” he then has the option of handling it himself, referring it to the Office of the Prosecutor, or having some other official of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice take action. If the Attorney General finds that no official of the Department of Justice can handle the mat[291]*291ter “without resulting in personal, financial, or political conflict of interest,” then he must apply for the appointment of a special prosecutor. 2 N.T.C. § 2021.

The Special Prosecutor Act also established the “Special Division of the Window Rock District Court,” which is composed of three judges. 2 N.T.C. §§ 291-292. It hears the Attorney General’s applications for the selection, appointment, compensation, and jurisdiction of the special prosecutor. 2 N.T.C. §§ 2021(f), 2022.

When appointed by the Special Division of the Window Rock District Court, the special prosecutor has “full power and independent authority” to exercise criminal prosecution functions of the Attorney General and the Office of the Prosecutor. 2 N.T.C. § 2023(a). That includes the power to obtain the production of documents or compel testimony by subpoena and to petition the courts to issue subpoena enforcement orders. 2 N.T.C. § 1982.

On March 31, 1989, the Special Division entered its order appointing the law firm of Rothstein, Bennett, Daly, Donatelli & Hughes as the Special Prosecutor. The court fixed the jurisdiction of that firm, authorizing it to undertake criminal or civil actions relating to “(i) violations of the Navajo Nation Ethics in Government Law, (ii) violations of the election laws of the Navajo Nation, and (iii) violations of any other Navajo law.” The order specifically mentioned “criminal misconduct associated with the purchase of the Big Boquillas Ranch or acceptance or solicitation of payments or other considerations for personal gain,” and the targets of criminal or civil actions were “any current or former tribal officials listed in the Act at 2 N.T.C. § 2021(b).” In Re Appointment of Special Prosecutor of the Navajo Nation, No. WR-SD-01-89 (Window Rock Dist. Ct. March 31, 1989) .

On June 15, 1989, the Special Prosecutor issued a subpoena duces tecum addressed to Peter McDonald, Sr. [sic] and Wanda Clere McDonald [sic], commanding them to meet with Ed Staffell, Investigator for the Special Prosecutor, to “discuss matters concerning the ... investigation” and to produce certain documents. The documents to be produced were listed in an Exhibit “A” to the subpoena, and the introductory paragraph of the exhibit indicates they were those “relating to an American Express credit card.” The exhibit then listed eleven categories of documents to be produced, including checking and money market account records, savings account records, certificates of deposit, loans, safety deposit box records, drafts and money transfers, credit card records, meeting records (regarding meetings with fifteen named individuals), and telephone records. The categories of meeting records included desk calendars, personal diaries, appointment schedules, and itineraries. While the scope of the subpoena appears to be limited to “an American Express credit card,” it broadly called for the production of a wide range of records.

On June 21, 1989, the Special Prosecutor commenced a subpoena enforcement action under 2 N.T.C. § 1982. It named Peter MacDonald Sr., Wanda MacDonald and others as respondents, and the petition on file recites a “good [292]*292faith belief’ the respondents “may have engaged in criminal conduct,” and that they possessed unprivileged information and documentation necessary for an investigation. The petition recited that the MacDonalds were served with a subpoena duces tecum on June 15,1989, but they “failed and refused to produce any of the documents listed in Exhibit ‘A’ to the Subpoena.”

On June 22,1989, the court entered an order to show cause upon the petition, and a hearing was held upon it on July 21, 1989. On July 10, 1989, the MacDonalds made a motion to quash the subpoena on six grounds.

On August 25, 1989, the district court made amended findings of fact, conclusions of law and an order, requiring the MacDonalds to “completely comply” with the investigatory subpoena within fifteen days. That order addressed only three objections of the motion to quash — service of process, sovereign immunity, and self-incrimination — reserving the other three for later resolution if the parties were unable to resolve objections to the scope and breadth of the subpoena.

When the parties were unable to resolve those differences the court conducted another hearing on September 13, 1989. The court also held a supplemental hearing by telephone conference call on September 29, 1989, and had telephonic discussions with counsel on September 29, 1989.

On September 29, 1989, the court entered an order denying the MacDonalds’ motion to quash, and it gave them until 5:00 p.m., on October 6, 1989, to fully and completely comply by producing the documents recited in the subpoena. The order dealt with issues of the overbreadth and burdensomeness of the subpoena. This appeal followed.

An action to enforce an investigative subpoena is civil in nature, and the jurisdiction and scope of authority of the courts is governed by statute, which provides as follows:

The Office of the Prosecutor shall have the authority to require the production of books, papers and other documents and may issue subpoenas to compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses. If any person shall refuse to obey any subpoena as issued or shall refuse to testify or produce any books, papers or other documents required by the subpoena, the Office of the Prosecutor may petition any court of the Navajo Nation to issue any appropriate order to enforce the subpoena.

2 N.T.C. § 1982.

The issues raised in the appeal are as follows:

1. Was the investigatory subpoena overbroad and therefore invalid?

2. Was the subpoena to Peter MacDonald Sr. barred by the Navajo Sovereign Immunity Act?

3. Given the pendency of criminal charges against Peter MacDonald Sr., should the district court be permitted to enter an order enforcing the subpoena?

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 Navajo Rptr. 290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/macdonald-v-navajo-nation-ex-rel-rothstein-navajo-1990.