BRACKEEN v. Cherokee Nation; Oneida Nation; Quinault Indian Nation; Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Intervenor Defendants - Appellants (2019)

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

Chad Everet BRACKEEN; Jennifer Kay Brackeen; State of Texas; Altagracia Socorro Hernandez; State of Indiana; Jason Clifford; Frank Nicholas Libretti; State of Louisiana; Heather Lynn Libretti; Danielle Clifford, Plaintiffs - Appellees v. David BERNHARDT, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior; Tara Sweeney, in her official capacity as Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; Bureau of Indian Affairs; United States Department of Interior; United States of America; Alex Azar, in his official capacity as Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Defendants - Appellants Cherokee Nation; Oneida Nation; Quinault Indian Nation; Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Intervenor Defendants - Appellants

No. 18-11479

Decided: November 07, 2019

Before OWEN, Chief Judge, JONES, SMITH, STEWART, DENNIS, ELROD, SOUTHWICK, HAYNES, GRAVES, HIGGINSON, COSTA, WILLETT, DUNCAN, ENGELHARDT, and OLDHAM, Circuit Judges.1

Matthew Dempsey McGill, Attorney, Lochlan Francis Shelfer, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs-Appellees CHAD EVERET BRACKEEN, JENNIFER KAY BRACKEEN, ALTAGRACIA SOCORRO HERNANDEZ, JASON CLIFFORD, FRANK NICHOLAS LIBRETTI, HEATHER LYNN LIBRETTI, DANIELLE CLIFFORD. Kyle Douglas Hawkins, Beth Ellen Klusmann, Esq., Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Solicitor General, David J. Hacker, Office of the Attorney General of Texas Environmental Protection Division, Austin, TX, for Plaintiffs-Appellees STATE OF TEXAS, STATE OF INDIANA, STATE OF LOUISIANA. Adam Howard Charnes, Esq., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, Kathryn Fort, Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, MI, Keith Michael Harper, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Intervenor Defendants-Appellants. Rachel Heron, U.S. Department of Justice Environment & Natural Resources Division–Appellate, Washington, DC, Eric Grant, U.S. Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Division, Washington, DC, for Defendant-Appellants. Christina Riehl, California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General − Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, for Amici Curiae STATE OF CALIFORNIA, STATE OF ALASKA, STATE OF ARIZONA, STATE OF COLORADO, STATE OF IDAHO, STATE OF ILLINOIS, STATE OF IOWA, STATE OF MAINE, STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, STATE OF MICHIGAN, STATE OF MINNESOTA, STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, STATE OF MONTANA, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, STATE OF NEW MEXICO, STATE OF OREGON, STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, STATE OF UTAH, STATE OF VIRGINIA, STATE OF WASHINGTON, STATE OF WISCONSIN. Bryan N. B. King, Esq., Attorney, Klint Cowan, Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens, Oklahoma City, OK, for Amicus Curiae UNITED KEETOOWAH BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS IN OKLAHOMA. Timothy Mason Sandefur, Goldwater Institute, Phoenix, AZ, for Amici Curiae GOLDWATER INSTITUTE, CATO INSTITUTE, TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ADOPTION ATTORNEYS. Margaret A. Little, New Civil Liberties Alliance, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae NEW CIVIL LIBERTIES ALLIANCE. Matthew L. Fletcher, MSU College of Law, Indigenous Law & Policy Center, East Lansing, MI, for Amici Curiae ROBERT T. ANDERSON, BARBARA A. ATWOOD, BETHANY BERGER, KRISTEN CARPENTER, MATTHEW L. FLETCHER, CAROLE GOLDBERG, LORIE GRAHAM, Court Reporter, SARAH KRAKOFF, ANGELA RILEY, ADDIE C ROLNICK, ALEX SKIBINE, MAYLINN SMITH, MICHALYN STEELE, REBECCA TSOSIE, CHARLES WILKINSON. Hyland Hunt, Deutsch Hunt, P.L.L.C., Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae CASEY FAMILY PROGRAMS AND 30 OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COURTS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN'S WELFARE. Michelle T. Miano, Attorney, Barnhouse Keegan Solimon & West, L.L.P., Los Ranchos Albuquerque, NM, for Amicus Curiae PROFESSOR GREGORY ABLAVSKY. Erin C. Dougherty Lynch, Native American Rights Fund, Anchorage, AK, Samuel Daughety, Rose N. Petoskey, Dentons US, L.L.P., Washington, DC, Daniel Lewerenz, Native American Rights Fund, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae 325 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES, ASSOCIATION ON AMERICAN INDIAN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS, NATIONAL INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ASSOCIATION, AND OTHER INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS. David Steven Coale, Esq., Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, for Amicus Curiae ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SCHOLARS. Danielle Mary Spinelli, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, L.L.P., Washington, DC, Alan E. Schoenfeld, WilmerHale, New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. Kendra J. Hall, Senior Counsel, Kerry Kay Patterson, Racheal M. White Hawk, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, L.L.P., San Diego, CA, for Amicus Curiae NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN AND INDIAN TRIBES AND ORGANIZATIONS. William S. Consovoy, Consovoy McCarthy P.L.L.C., Arlington, VA, for Amicus Curiae THE PROJECT ON FAIR REPRESENTATION. Benjamin Michael Flowers, Office of the Attorney General for the State of Ohio, Columbus, OH, for Amicus Curiae STATE OF OHIO. Krystal Brunner Swendsboe, Wiley Rein, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR INDIAN CHILD WELFARE.