Opinion ID: 162215
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Federal Proceeding

Text: 17 Shortly following the denial of its third attempt to dismiss the New Mexico stream adjudication, the United States filed this federal civil action in the District Court for the District of New Mexico. The United States sued to quiet its title to Project water. The alleged jurisdictional bases were 28 U.S.C. § 1345, United States as a plaintiff; 28 U.S.C. § 1341, federal question; and 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202, declaratory judgment action. The United States asserted that the named defendants had clouded its title to Project water. 6 In particular, the United States alleged that EBID asserted title to Project water because it finished paying off its debt to the United States for construction of irrigation works; that El Paso Water District asserted title to the Project water it received by means of its TNRCC permit; and that Hudspeth County Conservation and Reclamation District No. 1 asserted title to Project water, again, as evidenced by a permit it held from the TNRCC. 18 The district court dismissed the United States' suit. It applied the abstention doctrine of Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States, 424 U.S. 800, 96 S.Ct. 1236, 47 L.Ed.2d 483 (1976). The court determined that this case presented the exceptional circumstances required for dismissal under Colorado River. According to the district court, the United States' quiet title action was very similar to other cases in which Colorado River dismissal was appropriate. The court stated, It is a conspicuous fact that [those] cases, like this one, were water law cases involving McCarran Amendment considerations. Dist. Ct. Opinion at 21. 19 The district court dismissed the United States' complaint on the alternative ground that it had discretion under Brillhart v. Excess Insurance Co. of America to dismiss a declaratory judgment action. See Brillhart, 316 U.S. 491, 62 S.Ct. 1173, 86 L.Ed. 1620 (1942). The district court weighed the five factors enunciated by this court in State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Mhoon, 31 F.3d 979 (10th Cir.1994). Finding that all five factors weighed against the exercise of jurisdiction, the district court determined that it should not entertain the suit. Dist. Ct. Opinion at 23-26. 7