United States v. Washington

19 F. Supp. 3d 1184
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedDecember 31, 1996
DocketCivil Action No. 9213
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 19 F. Supp. 3d 1184 (United States v. Washington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Washington, 19 F. Supp. 3d 1184 (W.D. Wash. 1996).

Opinion

[1186]*1186TABLE OF CONTENTS

ORDER PAGE

Order Vacating Entry of Judgment (1/17/95) 1187

Order Denying Motion by Duwamish, Snohomish and Steilaeoom Indian Tribes to Reopen Judgment Under Rule 60(b) (1/23/95) 1188

[1187]*1187Order Granting in Part and Continuing in Part Muckleshoot’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (7/5/95) 1191

See Ap-Order re: Implementation of Shellfish Proviso, 898 F.S. 1453 (8/28/95) pendix

Order Granting Muckleshoot’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (10/4/95) 1194

Memorandum Opinion and Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Plaintiffs See Ap-Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment, 909 F.S. 787 (12/18/95) pendix

Order re: Granting Preliminary Injunction (3/22/96) 1196

Minute Entry: In Chambers Proceeding (4/11/96) 1199

Order Granting Motions for Approval of Settlement Agreements and Denying Request that Dismissal Without Prejudice by Conditional on Payment of Defense Costs and Attorney Fees (7/11/96) . 1199

Order Granting Makah’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and Denying Oregon’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment and Washington’s Motion for Stay (11/4/96) 1245

Decision by the Special Master (11/26/96) 1247

COMPILATION OF MAJOR POST-TRIAL SUBSTANTIVE ORDERS (Through December 31, 1996) ORDER VACATING ENTRY OF JUDGMENT

Subproceeding No. 89-3.

(January 17, 1995)

RAFEEDIE, District Judge.

The clerk is ordered to VACATE the entry of judgment entered on December 20, 1994.

The memorandum decision issued by this Court disposes only of the treaty interpretation issues and is only a partial judgment, which should not be separately entered.

Before the Court are still issues of injunc-tive relief, claims for equitable relief, time, place, and manner restrictions, if any, on shellfish harvesting, and other issues raised by the pleadings.

These and other issues cannot be resolved, for example, until there has been a determination of the location of shellfish beds covered by the Court’s decision.

It was on these latter issues that the Court sought the parties’ input and agreement, if possible, considered in light of the Court’s treaty interpretation. To the extent that the parties are unable to agree on such issues, the Court will decide them.

Until final judgment has been entered, the status quo ante shall remain in effect. Accordingly, the recent motion by the inter-venor growers for a stay pending appeal or for equitable relief is premature until a final judgment has been entered.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall serve, by United States mail, copies of this Order on counsel for the parties in this matter.

[1188]*1188ORDER DENYING MOTION BY DU-WAMISH, SNOHOMISH AND STEILACOOM INDIAN TRIBES TO REOPEN JUDGMENT UNDER RULE 60(b)

Subproceeding No. 93-2

(January 23, 1995)

BARBARA JACOBS ROTHSTEIN, District Judge.

THIS MATTER comes before the court on a motion by the Duwamish Indian Tribe, the Snohomish Indian Tribe and the Steilacoom Indian Tribe (“the tribes”) under Fed.R.Civ.P. 60(b) to reopen a judgment entered in this case on March 23, 1979. Having reviewed the motion together with all documents filed in support1 and in opposition, having heard oral argument, and being fully advised, the court finds and rules as follows:

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

In 1974, United States District Court Judge George H. Boldt held that tribes in Washington Territory which had signed treaties in the 1850’s relinquishing their aboriginal rights to land in exchange for the right to take fish at all usual and accustomed places were entitled to take up to fifty percent of the harvestable fish passing through their off-reservation fishing grounds. United States v. Washington, 384 F.Supp. 312 (W.D.Wash.1974), aff'd, 520 F.2d 676 (9th Cir.1975), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1086, 96 S.Ct. 877, 47 L.Ed.2d 97 (1976). See also, State of Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Ass’n, 443 U.S. 658, 99 S.Ct. 3055, 61 L.Ed.2d 823 (1979).

Among the tribes intervening in the case before Judge Boldt in 1974 to assert treaty fishing rights were the Duwamish, Snoho-mish, Steilacoom, Snoqualmie and Samish Indian Tribes. On September 13, 1974, Judge Boldt referred the issue of the treaty-tribe status of these intervenors to a magistrate. After holding several hearings, the magistrate issued a report concluding that none of the five intervenor tribes qualified as a successor to a treaty tribe. Pursuant to an appeal by the five tribes from the magistrate’s report, Judge Boldt ordered a de novo evidentiary hearing in August of 1975, directed the tribes to submit additional evidence in March of 1976, and heard oral argument on the matter in January of 1977.

In February of 1978, Judge Boldt underwent surgery for an aortic aneurysm which occasioned a lengthy period of convalescence. Early in 1979, Judge Boldt asked to be relieved of his judicial duties because of his failing health. On February 16, 1979, two of the three moving tribes in this case requested that Judge Boldt be allowed to resolve the still pending issue of the five intervenor tribes’ treaty status. In an order dated March 14, 1979, Chief Judge Walter T. McGovern granted the motion on the grounds that it was “in the best interests of judicial administration and economy, and in the interest of all parties.” In a footnote, Judge McGovern stated that “[t]he court has been informed that Judge Boldt is willing, if requested, to consider and issue a ruling on this matter.”

Judge Boldt issued his decision on March 23, 1979. In doing so, he adopted with minor changes the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by the United States. On April 25, 1979, he issued a brief order denying the tribes’ [1189]*1189motion for reconsideration. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision, 641 F.2d 1868 (1981), and the United States Supreme Court denied the tribes’ petition for certiorari. 454 U.S. 1143, 102 S.Ct. 1001, 71 L.Ed.2d 294 (1982).

The Duwamish, Snohomish and Steila-coom Tribes now move to reopen the judgment of March 28, 1979 pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 60(b)(6) for the purpose of conducting discovery into the state of Judge Boldt’s mental health at the time he rendered his decision. The motion is prompted by an article published on June 11,1992 in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer which states that, according to Judge Boldt’s death certificate issued in March of 1984, he suffered the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease in 1978, the year before the decision at issue was made.

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Bluebook (online)
19 F. Supp. 3d 1184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-washington-wawd-1996.