Opinion ID: 471853
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Federal district court jurisdiction.

Text: 20 Having decided that garnishment is a civil action removable under 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1442(a)(1), we must consider whether the district court's dismissal of the garnishment action was proper. We review the district court's decision to dismiss the garnishment action de novo. Trerice v. Pedersen, 769 F.2d 1398, 1400 (9th Cir.1985). 21 In this case there was no waiver of the United States sovereign immunity and consequently no state court jurisdiction over Nationwide's garnishment action. The United States has waived its immunity to such actions only in cases of child support and alimony, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 659, in cases involving postal workers, see 39 U.S.C. Sec. 401(1), and in a few other isolated situations such as cases involving the Federal Housing Authority, see FHA v. Burr, 309 U.S. 242, 244, 60 S.Ct. 488, 490, 84 L.Ed. 724 (1940). The statutes cited by Nationwide (28 U.S.C. Sec. 1739 relating to full faith and credit accorded to state nonjudicial records and 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2410 relating to actions affecting property on which the United States has a lien) have never been construed to allow garnishment against a federal employee. Since the state court, and therefore the district court on removal, lacked jurisdiction over the action against the federal officer, the district court properly dismissed the garnishment action. See Aminoil U.S.A., Inc. v. California State Water Resources Control Board, 674 F.2d 1227, 1232, 1237 (9th Cir.1982)(dismissing action against EPA Administrator removed under section 1442(a)(1) for lack of state court jurisdiction); 1A J. Moore, Moore's Federal Practice Sec. 0.164, at 404-05 (1985). 22 The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.