Opinion ID: 1310725
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Samish Tribe Moves to Reopen the Treaty Rights Denial; Washington III.

Text: In 2002, armed with its federal recognition, the Samish Tribe filed a motion in district court to reopen Washington II. See Washington III, 394 F.3d at 1156. The motion was filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b), which provides that a court may relieve a party from a final judgment for certain specified reasons or, in a catchall provision, for any other reason that justifies relief. Fed. R.Civ.P. 60(b)(6). Several tribes that currently hold treaty fishing rights (the Treaty Tribes) opposed the motion. Washington III, 394 F.3d at 1156. The district court denied relief. The Samish appealed, and we reversed. We recognized that the catchall provision of Rule 60(b) `has been used sparingly as an equitable remedy to prevent manifest injustice' and `is to be utilized only where extraordinary circumstances prevented a party from taking timely action to prevent or correct an erroneous judgment.' Id. at 1157 (quoting United States v. Alpine Land & Reservoir Co., 984 F.2d 1047, 1049 (9th Cir.1993)). We held that, in light of the circumstances of the earlier denial of treaty rights for the Samish Tribe, its subsequent federal recognition was an extraordinary circumstance justifying Rule 60(b) relief. Id. at 1161. The key point was not the recognition itself, but the factual findings underlying the recognition, notably the findings that the Samish Tribe `has been continuously identified throughout history as Indian or aboriginal, has existed as a distinct community since first sustained European contact, has maintained political influence within itself as an autonomous entity and that 80 percent of its members are descendants of the historical Samish tribe.' Id. at 1160 (quoting 61 Fed.Reg. 15825, 15826). We noted that, if the Samish Tribe had been recognized at the time it first sought an adjudication of treaty rights, it almost certainly would have succeeded. Id. at 1159. We further stated: In light of the government's excessive delays and . . . misconduct in withholding of recognition from the Samish, a circumstance beyond their control; the government's position in Washington II that federal recognition was necessary and that future federal recognition might justify revisiting the treaty rights issue; and the district court's erroneous conclusion that nonrecognition was decisive and wholesale adoption of the United States' boiler-plate findings of fact in Washington II, we conclude that the Samish were effectively prevented from proving their tribal status in a proper fashion. Id. (alteration in original). We also noted: Although we have previously held that federal recognition is not necessary for the exercise of treaty fishing rights by a signatory tribe, we have never held that federal recognition is not a sufficient condition for the exercise of those rights. Indeed, our precedent leads us to the inevitable conclusion that federal recognition is a sufficient condition for the exercise of treaty rights. Id. at 1157-58. The reason, we said, was that treaty rights require that a signatory group has maintained an organized tribal structure from treaty times to the present, and recognition requires that a group be a distinct community that has existed from historical times to the present and maintained political influence or authority over its members during that time. Id. at 1158. Because the Samish were parties to the treaty, recognition of the Samish Tribe established that they were successors to the treaty status. Id. at 1160. Finally, we ruled that the district court's concerns for the finality of judgments did not justify denial of the Samish's motion to reopen Washington II : Unlike a judgment between private parties, the allocation of natural resources between treaty tribes and others cannot help but be an ongoing venture. Id. at 1162. We accordingly reversed the district court's order and remanded for further proceedings consistent with our opinion. Id.