United States Tenth Circuit

District court's refusal to exercise jurisdiction, pursuant to the Brillhart doctrine, over a federal action to quiet title to water rights in a portion of the Rio Grande River was proper, but decision is remanded with instructions to consider the propriety of a stay.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/07/2002
• Published 05/07/2002

Judges

• MURPHY, Circuit Judge., Before BRISCOE, MURPHY, Circuit Judges, and OBERDORFER, District Judge.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Andrew C. Mergen, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (John Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Washington, D.C.;  Jeffrey Dobbins, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.;  Lynn Johnson, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.;  John W. Zavitz, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Albuquerque, NM;  Chris Rich, U.S. Department of the Interior, Salt Lake City, UT;  with him on the briefs), for Plaintiff-Counter-Defendant-Appellant., Jay F. Stein, James C. Brockmann, Stein & Brockmann, P.A., Santa Fe, NM, on the briefs for Defendant-Appellee City of Las Cruces., Benjamin Phillips, Rebecca Dempsey, White, Koch, Kelly & McCarthy, P.A., Santa Fe, NM;  Douglas G. Caroom, Delgado, Acosta & Bickerstaff, Heath, P.L.L.C., on the briefs for Defendant-Appellee City of El Paso., Luis G. Stelzner,John W. Utton, Sheehan, Sheehan & Stelzner, P.A., Albuquerque, NM;  Charles T. DuMars, Christina Bruff DuMars, Law & Resource Planning Assoc., Albuquerque, NM, on the briefs for Defendant-Appellee New Mexico State University., Joel T. Newton, Miller, Stratvert & Torgerson, P.A., Las Cruces, NM, on the briefs for Defendant-Appellee Stahmann Farms., Susanne Hoffman-Dooley (Gregory C. Ridgley, with her on the briefs), Santa Fe, NM, for Defendant-Appellee State of New Mexico, ex rel. State Engineer., James M. Speer, Jr., El Paso, Texas, for Defendant-Counter-Claimant-Cross-Claimant-Appellant El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1., Beverly J. Singleman, Stephen A. Hubert, Las Cruces, NM, on the briefs for Defendant-Cross-Defendant-Appellee Elephant Butte Irrigation District of New Mexico.