Source: https://www.animallaw.info/case/united-states-v-sandia
Timestamp: 2015-05-29 14:16:24
Document Index: 675577972

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 703', '§ 668', '§ 3371', '§ 2000', '§ 3372', '§ 2000', '§ 2000']

United States v. Sandia | Animal Legal & Historical Center
Full Case Name: United States of America v. Johnny Sandia
Court Name: United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Primary Citation: 188 F.3d 1215 (10th Cir 1999)
Judge Name: Tacha
Judges: Tacha
and Baldock
Attorneys: John F. Moon Samore, Albuquerque, New Mexico, appearing for Defendant-Appellant. Jonathon Miles Gerson, Assistant United States Attorney (John J. Kelly, United States Attorney, with him on the brief), Albuquerque, New Mexico, appearing for Plaintiff-Appellee. Marc D. Stern, American Jewish Congress, New York, New York, filed a brief on behalf of the Amicus Curiae. Docket Num: No. 98-2248
This case was vacated by the Tenth Circuit in the
order. Defendant in this case sold golden eagle skins to undercover agents in New Mexico. On appeal, defendant contended that the district court failed to consider the facts under a RFRA analysis. The Tenth Circuit disagreed, finding that defendant never claimed that his sale of eagle parts was for religious purposes and that the sale of eagle parts negates a claim of religious infringement on appeal. For further discussion on religious challenges to the BGEPA, see
Defendant-Appellant Johnny Sandia sold a golden eagle skin and other migratory bird parts to a federal undercover agent on several occasions in 1996. Based on these sales and the information gathered during its investigation, the government charged Sandia with eleven violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S.C. § 703 et seq., the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. § 668, and the Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. § 3371 et seq. Mr. Sandia moved to dismiss the indictment based on his free exercise rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ("RFRA"), 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1,(1) and on alleged outrageous government conduct. The district court denied both motions, finding that RFRA did not apply to the federal government and that the government did not engage in outrageous conduct with respect to Mr. Sandia. Mr. Sandia then pled guilty to one violation of the Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C §§ 3372(a)(1), 3373(d)(1)(B), admitting that he illegally sold a golden eagle taken in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Defendant reserved his right to appeal the district court's rulings on his motions to dismiss and now exercises that right. We affirm.
Both the government and defendant contend that the district court erred in finding RFRA inapplicable to the federal government. The government, however, urges that we affirm the denial of the motion to dismiss because the offense of conviction ­ the commercial sale of protected wildlife ­ does not implicate any religious rights. "[W]e are free to affirm a district court decision on any grounds for which there is a record sufficient to permit conclusions of law, even grounds not relied upon by the district court." Medina v. City & County of Denver, 960 F.2d 1493, 1495 n.1 (10th Cir. 1992) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). We need not reach the RFRA question because defendant took or possessed the eagle in violation of federal law and never claimed his sale of the golden eagle to the government agent had any religious significance.
Defendant also did not claim on appeal that his sale of the golden eagle skin had religious significance. In Hugs, the district court found that the defendants, who had purchased golden eagles from a government agent, might have made the purchase for religious purposes. See 109 F.3d at 1378. By contrast, Mr. Sandia expressly stated to the district court that he was not claiming a religious right to make a commercial sale. See Appellant's Opening Br. at 18 ("At no time has Mr. Sandia asserted a . . . right . . . to give him permission to 'engage in trafficking.'"); R., Vol. I, Doc. 30, at 5 ("Mr. Sandia does not claim 'any right to engage in commercial transactions with eagles.'").(2)
Mr. Sandia also claims that the government agent's activities in inducing him to sell the eagle were so extreme as to constitute outrageous government conduct that violated due process and required dismissal of the charges.(3) The district court denied defendant's motion to dismiss on this claim. We review the district court's ruling on government misconduct de novo. See, e.g., United States v. Pedraza, 27 F.3d 1515, 1521 (10th Cir. 1994).
1.Under RFRA, government action that burdens the free exercise of religion must further a "compelling government interest" and be "the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1(b). Congress passed RFRA in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Employment Div., Dept. of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), which held that the First Amendment allowed the government to enforce neutral laws of general applicability even when such laws burdened the free exercise of religion. See City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, 512-16 (1997). The purposes of RFRA are to "restore the compelling interest test . . . and to guarantee its application in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially burdened" and "to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious exercise is substantially burdened by government." 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb(b).
2.At oral argument, defendant's counsel suggested that the sale and/or barter of sacred bird parts to other Native Americans was a tradition and might itself have religious significance. According to counsel, the government agent to whom Mr. Sandia sold the eagle represented himself as a Native American seeking eagle parts for ceremonial purposes. However, petitioner did not specifically raise this argument before the district court or in his briefs to this court. Therefore, petitioner has waived the argument. See Thomas v. Denny's Inc., 111 F.3d 1506, 1510 n.5 (10th Cir. 1997).
3.In his opening brief, defendant raises this issue in only the most cursory manner. Generally, the failure to raise an issue in the opening brief waives the issue. See, e.g., State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Mhoon, 31 F.3d 979, 984 n.7 (10th Cir. 1994). While one could make a good case that defendant has waived the outrageous government conduct claim, we deem it sufficiently raised and will consider it on the merits.