Opinion ID: 681319
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: mootness of the claim

Text: 8 The first issue we decide is whether the district court erred in dismissing Noatak's claim for prospective relief as moot because the statute which gave rise to the allegedly discriminatory state actions had been repealed. A district court's dismissal of an action on the ground of mootness is reviewed de novo. Friends of the Payette v. Horseshoe Bend Hydroelectric Co., 988 F.2d 989, 996 (9th Cir.1993). 9 Mootness is the doctrine of standing set in a time frame: The requisite personal interest that must exist at the commencement of the litigation (standing) must continue throughout its existence (mootness). United States Parole Comm'n v. Geraghty, 445 U.S. 388, 397, 100 S.Ct. 1202, 1209, 63 L.Ed.2d 479 (1980) (quoting Henry Monaghan, Constitutional Adjudication: The Who and When, 82 Yale L.J. 1363, 1384 (1973)). Article III of the United States Constitution confers jurisdiction on federal courts over cases and controversies and has been construed to prohibit advisory opinions. See SEC v. Medical Comm. for Human Rights, 404 U.S. 403, 407, 92 S.Ct. 577, 579, 30 L.Ed.2d 560 (1972); Muskrat v. United States, 219 U.S. 346, 362, 31 S.Ct. 250, 255, 55 L.Ed. 246 (1911). A federal court has no jurisdiction to hear a case that cannot affect the litigants' rights. Allard v. DeLorean, 884 F.2d 464, 466 (9th Cir.1989). 10 There are, however, a few exceptions to the mootness doctrine. These include cases where the defendant's conduct constitutes a wrong capable of repetition yet evading review, or where the defendant voluntarily ceases an allegedly illegal practice but is free to resume it at any time. See Barilla v. Ervin, 886 F.2d 1514, 1519 (9th Cir.1989); Lindquist v. Idaho State Bd. of Corrections, 776 F.2d 851, 854 (9th Cir.1985). 11 Noatak argues that its action challenging the Commissioner's regulations accompanying Sec. 29.89.050 is not moot because, although the statute was repealed, the state's policy of treating Native villages as racial groups, rather than as political entities, still exists. Noatak fears that the state will implement regulations under the new statute which will likewise reflect the allegedly discriminatory policy. Therefore, Noatak contends that this is a situation capable of repetition yet evading review, and that the state's voluntary cessation of the challenged activity by repealing the prior statute is insufficient to render the case moot.
12 In order for a matter to fit within the capable of repetition yet evading review exception to the mootness doctrine, two criteria must be met. First, there must be a reasonable expectation that the same complaining party will be subject to the same injury again. See Weinstein v. Bradford, 423 U.S. 147, 149, 96 S.Ct. 347, 348, 46 L.Ed.2d 350 (1975); Barilla, 886 F.2d at 1519. Second, the injury suffered must be of a type inherently limited in duration such that it is likely always to become moot before federal court litigation is completed. Ackley v. Western Conference of Teamsters, 958 F.2d 1463, 1469 (9th Cir.1992); see, e.g., Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 125, 93 S.Ct. 705, 712, 35 L.Ed.2d 147 (1973) (right to abortion claim capable of repetition but evading review because usual appellate process exceeds nine months); Carroll v. President and Comm'rs of Princess Anne, 393 U.S. 175, 179, 89 S.Ct. 347, 350, 21 L.Ed.2d 325 (1968) (ten-day restraining order capable of repetition yet always evading review because litigation never would be completed before ten days expired). 13 Neither of these requirements is met in this case. First, there is no reasonable expectation that the alleged injury will recur. Because the relevant statute has been repealed, the Commissioner cannot promulgate or enforce regulations under that statute. Even if the Commissioner has discretion under the new statute to create new regulations to which Noatak might also object, that in itself is not sufficient to create a reasonable expectation of recurrence. Noatak fears only the possibility that the state's allegedly discriminatory policy will manifest itself under the new statute. Federal courts are not authorized to address such theoretical possibilities. If in the future the Commissioner does implement regulations or policies which Noatak finds objectionable, Noatak can challenge them at that time. 14 Moreover, Noatak has failed to show that this is the type of injury which is of such inherently limited duration that it is likely always to become moot prior to review. It took the Alaska legislature four years to repeal the statute in question, and during all of those four years the Commissioner's regulations remained intact. Noatak had ample time to challenge the enforcement of those regulations while they were in place. Thus, this is not a situation where the duration of the challenged action would be too brief for effective judicial review. 15 We conclude, therefore, that the capable of repetition yet evading review exception to mootness does not apply.
16 Noatak also argues that its action is not moot because the state's repeal of the statute was a voluntary cessation of the allegedly illegal activity. 17 Generally, a case should not be considered moot if the defendant voluntarily ceases the allegedly improper behavior in response to a suit, but is free to return to it at any time. Only if there is no reasonable expectation that the illegal action will recur is such a case deemed moot. United States v. W.T. Grant Co., 345 U.S. 629, 632-33, 73 S.Ct. 894, 897-98, 97 L.Ed. 1303 (1953); Lindquist, 776 F.2d at 854. 18 A statutory change, however, is usually enough to render a case moot, even if the legislature possesses the power to reenact the statute after the lawsuit is dismissed. As a general rule, if a challenged law is repealed or expires, the case becomes moot. See Burke v. Barnes, 479 U.S. 361, 363, 107 S.Ct. 734, 736, 93 L.Ed.2d 732 (1987) (bill expired during pendency of appeal, rendering moot question of whether president's pocket veto prevented bill from becoming law); United States Dep't of Treasury v. Galioto, 477 U.S. 556, 559-60, 106 S.Ct. 2683, 2685-86, 91 L.Ed.2d 459 (1986) (amendment to federal statute rendered case moot); Kremens v. Bartley, 431 U.S. 119, 129, 97 S.Ct. 1709, 1715, 52 L.Ed.2d 184 (1977) (statute providing for commitment of minors repealed, rendering case of named appellants moot); Bunker Ltd. Partnership v. United States, 820 F.2d 308, 312 (9th Cir.1987) (new legislation which superseded prior law rendered arguments based on superseded law moot). The exceptions to this general line of holdings are rare and typically involve situations where it is virtually certain that the repealed law will be reenacted. See, e.g., City of Mesquite v. Aladdin's Castle, Inc., 455 U.S. 283, 289, 102 S.Ct. 1070, 1074, 71 L.Ed.2d 152 (1982) (repeal of city ordinance did not render challenge to ordinance moot where city was likely to reenact statute after completion of litigation). 19 Noatak argues that the state's voluntary repeal of the challenged statute and regulations is insufficient to render the case moot because the state has retained its allegedly discriminatory policy and the state may enforce this policy again under the new statute. As discussed previously, however, Noatak's fear of possible future injury is insufficient to constitute a reasonable expectation that the same alleged injury will recur. 20 Moreover, in Lindquist, 776 F.2d at 854, we held that when the defendant's motivations for ceasing the challenged behavior were not suspect and there was no reasonable expectation that the behavior would recur, the voluntary cessation exception did not apply. Here, the legislature repealed Sec. 29.89.050 before Noatak even initiated its lawsuit. Thus, the state's motivations for ceasing the allegedly illegal behavior could not have originated from a desire to terminate Noatak's action. This is not a case where a defendant voluntarily ceases challenged action in response to a lawsuit. Therefore, it is unlikely that the challenged statute and regulations will be reenacted if we affirm the dismissal of Noatak's litigation. As a result, Noatak's claim cannot avoid mootness via the voluntary cessation exception. 21 Because neither the capable of repetition yet evading review exception nor the voluntary cessation exception applies in this case, we conclude that the district court properly dismissed Noatak's action as moot.