Court Opinion

ID: 9781853
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 17:34:01.338888+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:34:40.594351
License: Public Domain

BUSTAMANTE, Judge (concurring in part and dissenting in part). {38} I fully concur in the majority’s disposition of the conservation groups’ claims, but I cannot agree with denying standing to the schoolchildren. The majority opinion applies our standing case law too cautiously and in the process essentially voids that provision of Section 10 of the Enabling Act which reserves the “power ... of any citizen [of the State] to enforce the provisions of this act.” If schoolchildren — the real beneficiaries of the Act — cannot bring suit as citizens, no citizen can. I believe the majority has been led into error by its definition of the harm asserted by the schoolchildren. That error in turn leads to difficulties in its discussion of the remedy sought or available. {39} The core of the majority’s concern is that even if the Land Office increased income to the school land’s trust, there is no way to establish that there “would be an actual increase in the funds” given to schools. Given the complex process of budgetary allocation and appropriation — which the majority accurately describes — I agree that no one can assert that a dollar of increased income will result in a dollar of increased money appropriated to any particular school or child. But this uncertainty is not fatal to standing because it focuses on the wrong part of the process. {40} The schoolchildren’s focus as stated in their complaint is on the amount of income generated by the trust lands; that is, on the amount of revenues provided to the complex process which results in specific appropriations. The final form of educational appropriation is a political process which the judiciary should not intrude upon. However, that process is of necessity affected by the total resources made available to it. To assert that increasing income from the trust lands is not a real remedy is an implicit assertion that the entity responsible for allocation of resources will not comply with the Enabling Act’s requirement that all trust fund income be applied for the support of the schools in New Mexico. If we are to engage in assumptions, I choose to assume that increased income will be applied positively. Thus, increasing income at its source is a real remedy which can be provided through the exercise of conventional judicial process, depending, of course, on proof. Focusing on the source of income as the object of the litigation obviates all of the majority’s concerns as to causation and remedy. {41} The majority’s focus on the political processes leading to appropriation in any event proves too much. Given the complexities of the process and the impossibility of predicting or tracing income to allocation, an argument could be made that the State Attorney General and the United States Attorney do not have proper standing to make the same challenge the schoolchildren are attempting to bring here. After all, the uncertainty relied upon by the majority would infect their efforts to increase income also. I do not believe such a challenge would be successful were a claim to be brought by the Attorney General or the United States Attorney. Similarly, I do not believe it should deny these schoolchildren the ability to make them case. {42} Finally, the majority expresses some comfort in the notion that there are other parties who can bring these claims. I do not understand why the theoretical availability of other persons who may have standing should defeat efforts by the schoolchildren to get the same issues heard. Despite their assumed ability to do so, no state or federal agency to date has raised the claims made by the schoolchildren here. I see no judicial economies or societal efficiencies to be gained by deferring to entities who to all appearances have no intention of acting in the foreseeable future. It is odd indeed to refuse standing here because the Attorney General — who is defending this ease vigorously— has the power to make the claim these schoolchildren are already making. Fearing that the issues will never be heard, I respectfully dissent.