Opinion ID: 2634607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Proper Party Defendants

Text: {35} Traditionally, Ex parte Young suits name one or more individual state officers to be sued in their official capacities. Verizon, 535 U.S. at 645, 122 S.Ct. 1753. The purpose of naming an individual officer in an Ex parte Young claim is to identify the party whose conduct violated federal law, and more importantly to ensure that future conduct conforms to federal law. The focus of determining if an action fits into the Ex parte Young rubric is not simply the identity of the named party, but whether the State is the real party in interest and thus, whether a suit might intrude upon the sovereignty and autonomy of the State. It has been consistently noted that,  Young 's applicability `is to be determined not by the mere names of the titular parties but by the essential nature and effect of the proceeding, as it appears from the entire record.' Coeur d'Alene, 521 U.S. at 278, 117 S.Ct. 2028 (Kennedy, J.) (quoting In re State of New York, 256 U.S. 490, 500, 41 S.Ct. 588, 65 L.Ed. 1057 (1921)). {36} Mr. Gill's Ex parte Young action is directed towards PERB, not toward a state official or officials. Elephant Butte, 160 F.3d at 609. Instead, Mr. Gill appears to argue that, because PERB is made up of individuals, he need not name them as such, emphasizing that a majority of a quorum is necessary for a PERB decision. We disagree. The requirement that a plaintiff must sue a state official in an Ex parte Young claim remains an integral component of the Ex parte Young construct. {37} However, Gill may still move to amend his complaint pursuant to Rule 1-015(C) NMRA 2004. This rule permits an amendment to a party named in a suit to relate back to the date of the original pleading if the parties named in the amended pleading received notice of the action, and knew or should have known that, but for a mistake concerning the identities of the proper parties, the actions would have been brought against them originally. Rule 1-015(C). Because the individual members of the PERB apparently were on notice of this proceeding, and because the claim to be asserted in the amended pleading would arise out of the conduct, transaction or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading, Gill may move to amend his claim to add the individual members of the PERB. We therefore remand to the district court to allow Gill to move to amend his complaint pursuant to Rule 1-015 NMRA 2004.