Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-07-02149/USCOURTS-ca10-07-02149-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Gary King
Appellee
Mike Major
Not Party
Daniel Manzanares
Appellee
Tim Reed
Not Party
Norbert A. Schueller
Appellant

Document Text:

*

 This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the

doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited,

however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th

Cir. R. 32.1.

** After examining the briefs and the appellate record, this three-judge

panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not be of material

assistance in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th

Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cause is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

January 7, 2008

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

TENTH CIRCUIT

NORBERT A. SCHUELLER,

Plaintiff - Appellant,

v.

GARY KING, Attorney General of

New Mexico; DANIEL

MANZANARES, Director of New

Mexico Livestock Board,

Defendants - Appellees.

----------------------------

MIKE MAJOR & TIM REED,

individually and d/b/a Major Cattle

Co.,

 Real Parties in Interest.

No. 07-2149

(D.C. No. CIV-06-659)

(D.N.M.)

ORDER AND JUDGMENT*

Before KELLY, ANDERSON, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.**

Appellate Case: 07-2149 Document: 0101103733 Date Filed: 01/07/2008 Page: 1
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Plaintiff-Appellant Norbert A. Schueller, appearing pro se, challenges the

district court’s final order dismissing his equal protection claim with prejudice for

failure to state a claim and his remaining claims, including his takings and due

process claims, without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. R. Doc.

25. Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. 

The parties are familiar with the facts and we need not repeat them here,

other than to say that Plaintiff alleges he is an owner of an unfenced plot of land

and that trespassing livestock owned by Mike Major and Tim Reed damaged his

land. He filed this civil action against state officials seeking a declaratory

judgment that certain New Mexico statutes which may limit recovery of damages

caused by trespassing livestock (when property is unfenced) violated the Fifth and

Fourteenth Amendments. Plaintiff also sought injunctive relief, and

compensatory and punitive damages were he successful in his declaratory

judgment action. The district court determined that takings and due process

claims were not ripe, and that the livestock fencing statutes at issue had a rational

basis. R. Doc. 24 at 8-10, 12-13. 

On appeal, he contends that the district court’s decision (1) violates

longstanding Constitutional principles of property ownership, (2) continues the

practice of giving third parties greater rights in his property than he has in

violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, (3) overlooks the

Appellate Case: 07-2149 Document: 0101103733 Date Filed: 01/07/2008 Page: 2
1

 Defendants have chosen not to submit a brief in opposition to plaintiff’s

appeal.

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responsibility of federal courts to adjudicate federal constitutional questions. We

review the district court’s determination on these matters de novo. Colo. Envtl.

Coal. v. Wenker, 353 F.3d 1221, 1227 (10th Cir. 2004). We have reviewed

plaintiff’s brief,1

 the record, and the applicable law and affirm the district court’s

final order for substantially the reasons contained in its memorandum opinion and

order dated February 28, 2007. R. Doc. 24.

AFFIRMED.

Entered for the Court

Paul J. Kelly, Jr.

Circuit Judge

Appellate Case: 07-2149 Document: 0101103733 Date Filed: 01/07/2008 Page: 3