G e o r g e Sk i b i n e i s s u b s t i tu t e d f o rPh i l i p H o g e n , p u r s u a n tt o Fe d . R. * A pp . P . 43 (c )( 2).

T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt ** e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T C I T Y O F V A N C O U V E R , a W a s hi ngt on m uni c i pa l c orpor a t i on, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. G E O R G E S K IB IN E , i n h i s off i ci al * c apa c i ty a s A c t i ng C ha i rm a n of the N a t i ona l I ndi a n G a m i ng C om m i s s i on; NA T I ON AL I ND I AN GA MI NG C OMMI S S I ON , D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 08- 35954 D. C . No . 3 : 0 8 - c v - 0 5 1 9 2 - B HS ME MO R A N D U M **

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on B e nj a m i n H . S e tt l e , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d A ugus t2, 2010

S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: C A N B Y , N O O N A N an d B E R Z O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 

# FI LED AU G 31 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T he C i ty of

V a nc ouve rappe a l s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s di s m i s s a l , on s t a ndi ng g ro u n d s, o f its ac ti o n ch allen g in g th e N atio n al In d ian G am in g C o m m issio n ’s ap p r o v a l o f

a n a m e n d m e n t to a tr ib a l g a m in g o r d in a n c e e n a c te d b y th e C o w litz I n d i a n Tr i b e . W e a f

f i rm. T he C i ty doe s notc ha l l e nge the s ubs t a nc e of the a m e ndm e ntt o the ga m i ng or di na nc e ; i tobj e c t s onl y t o the t i m i ng of the appr ova l , c ont e ndi ng tha tthe C om m i s s i on vi ol a t e d apr oc e dur a l rul e by a c t i ng be f or e the D e pa r tm e ntof

the I n te r io rh a d m a d e a f

in a l d e c is io n o n th e T r ib e ’s f e e - to - tru s t ap p lic a tio n . I t is undi s put e d tha tthe T r i be c a nnotc onduc tthe ga m i ng ope r a t i ons c ont e m pl a t e d by th e g a m in g o r d in a n c e b e f o r e th e D e p a r tm e n t ap p r o v e s its f e e - to - tru s t ap p lic a tio n .

“ [T ] o sho w a c og ni zabl e i nj ury i n fac t , ” apl ai nt i ff as se rt i ng a procedural i nj ury “ m us ta l l e ge . . . tha t( 1) the [ a ge nc y ] vi ol a t e d c e r t a i n pr oc e dur a l rul e s ; ( 2) th e s e ru le s p r o te c t [ ap la in tif f’s ] c o n c r e te in te r e s ts ; a n d ( 3 ) it is r e a s o n ab ly prob abl e thatthe chal l enged act i on w i l l threa t en thei r c on cr et e i nt er es t s. ” C i t y of Sa u s a lito v . O ’

N e ill , 386 F . 3d 1186, 1197 ( 9th C i r . 2004) ( quot i ng C i t i z e ns f or B et terFores tryv. U

. S. D ep’t of A gri c. , 34 1 F . 3d 96 1, 96 9-70 (9th C i r. 20 03 )) ( a l t e r a t i ons i n or i gi na l ) . T he C i ty ’ s a r gum e nttha tthe C om m i s s i on s houl d ha ve w a ite d f o rth e D e p a r tm e n t to ap p r o v e th e T r ib e ’s f e e - to - tru s t ap p lic a tio n r e s ts sol el y on the re qu i re m entof the Indi an G am i ng R egul at ory A ct(“ IG R A ”) that3

gam i ng t ake pl ac e on “ Indi an l ands, ” 25 U . S . C . §§ 27 10 (b)( 1), 27 10 (d)( 1), defi ned to in c lu d e , in te ra lia , “ l ands t i t l e t o w hi ch i s . . . hel d i n trustby the U ni t ed S t at es for the benefi tof any I nd i an tri be . . . and o ver w hi ch an Indi an tri be exerc i se s go vernm ent al po w er , ” i d. § 2 7 0 3 . T h e C o m m issio n ’s ap p ro v al o f th e T rib e’s g a m in g o r d in a n c e e x p r e s s ly p r o v id e d , h o w e v e r , th a t b e f o r e th e T r ib e c o u ld c onduc tga m i ng on the s i t e , “ the D e pa r tm e ntof the I nt e r i orm us tf

i r s ta c c e ptthe l a nd i nt o trus t , a nd the T r i be m us tf i r s te xe r c i s e gove rnm e nta uthor i ty ove rthe s i t e . ” T hus , w e r e

j e c tthe C i ty ’ s c ont e nt i on tha tthe C om m i s s i on vi ol a t e d a pr oc e dur a l rul e by appr ovi ng a n a m e ndm e ntt o the ga m i ng or di na nc e be f or e the D e pa r tm e ntha d a c t e d on the T r i be ’ s f e e - t o- trus tappl i c a t i on. A l tho ug h the C i ty a ss ert s thatthe C om m i ss i on ’ s app roval coul d i nfl uence the D e pa r tm e ntt o a doptthe R e s t or e d L a nds O pi ni on on w hi c h the C om m i s s i on r e lie d , it p o in ts to n o s ta tu to ry o rr e g u la to ry a u th o r ity r e q u ir in g th e D e p a r tm e n t to consi der the C om m i ss i on ’ s O pi ni on on thatm att er , or t o regard the O pi ni on as di s pos i t i ve . T he D e pa r tm e ntm us tm a ke a de t e rm i na t i on r e ga r di ng the ap p l i cab i l i ty o f S ect i o n 2 0 o f IG R A , 2 5 U . S . C . § 2 7 1 9 , as p arto f th e fee-to-trust ap p r o v a l p r o c e s s , se e 25 C . F . R . § 1 51 . 10 (c ). M oreover, as conceded by the C i ty a t o ra l arg u m en t, re g ar d less o f w h eth erth e D ep ar tm en t relies o n th e C o m m issio n ’s R e s t or e d L a nds O pi ni on i n m a ki ng i t s S e c t i on 20 de t e rm i na t i on, the C i ty w i l l ha ve4

a n oppor tuni ty t o c ha l l e nge the s ubs t a nc e of tha tde t e rm i na t i on— i nc l udi ng a ny rest o red l an d s d eci si o n , h o w ev er arrived at

— w h en an d i f th e D ep artm en ti ssu es a f in a l d e c is io n ap p r o v in g th e T r ib e ’s f e e - to - tru s t ap p lic a tio n . See 2 5 C .F .R . § 15 1. 12 (b). A s the C i ty ha s note s t abl i s he d apr oc e dur a l i nj ury r e s ul t i ng f r om the t i m i ng o f th e C o m m is s io n ’s ap p r o v a l, it d o e s n o t h a v e A r tic le I I I s ta n d in g to m a in ta in th is s u it. See C ity o

f Sa u s a lito , 3 8 6 F .3 d at 1 1 9 7 . W e a ff irm th e d istrict co u rt’s d is m is s a l f

o rla c k o f

s u b je c t m a tte rju r is d ic tio n . AF F I RME D.