Opinion ID: 176472
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nisqually's Argument

Text: Nisqually does not specifically argue that the 1987 Act or the 1994 Act imply a private right of action. Rather, Nisqually argues that, under Moe v. Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, 425 U.S. 463, 96 S.Ct. 1634, 48 L.Ed.2d 96 (1976), it has a private right of action stemming from 28 U.S.C. § 1362. We disagree. Title 28 U.S.C. § 1362 confers jurisdiction to federal courts over actions brought by any Indian tribe ... wherein the matter in controversy arises under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States. Moe explained that, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1362, Indian tribes can bring the kind of claims that could have been brought by the United States as trustee in federal court. 425 U.S. at 472, 96 S.Ct. 1634. Nisqually does not argue, however, that the United States could bring a claim under the 1987 Act or the 1994 Act as trustee for Nisqually in federal court. Instead, Nisqually appears to argue that Moe essentially creates a private right of action any time a claim is brought by an Indian tribe. But Moe has to do with jurisdiction, not with implied causes of action. There is no authority to support Nisqually's position. Title 28 U.S.C. § 1362 is a jurisdictional statute and Moe merely recognizes a tribe's right to bring a claim in federal court which could otherwise be brought by the United States acting as trustee. Since Nisqually has not demonstrated that the United States could have brought an action as trustee in this matter, see Moe, 425 U.S. at 472, 96 S.Ct. 1634, we cannot entertain a private right of action under the 1987 Act or the 1994 Act. [7]