Court Opinion

ID: 9592416
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:14:02.071436+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:19:22.448222
License: Public Domain

WUEST, Retired Justice
(concurring in result).
My problem with the majority opinion relates to the second issue, i.e., the premature issue. I believe we should take judicial notice of the decision of the Tribal Court of Appeals affirming the Tribal Court and then hold the issue moot. (I would stop there). Since the majority chose a different route, I must express my disagreement with their rationale in affirming the last issue. A stay of execution whether in state court or tribal court is an entirely different legal concept than comity. Stays of execution, the posting of supersedeas bonds, etc. are statutory and these statutes apply to the sovereignty that enacts them. Comity is entirely different. As the majority opinion has noted “ ‘ “[cjomity,” ... is the recognition which one nation allows within its territory to the legislative, executive, or judicial acts of another nation[.]’ ” Mexican v. Circle Bear, 370 N.W.2d 737, 740 (S.D.1985) (quoting Hilton v. Guyot, 159 U.S. 113, 163, 16 S.Ct. 139, 143, 40 L.Ed. 95, 108 (1894)).
In my opinion, the authority cited in the majority opinion is not appropriate to the comity issue. SDCL 1-1-25 does not expressly state the decision must be final before comity is granted; nevertheless, how *23can we know how the other nation has acted until its decision is final? I believe we should wait until the tíme for appeal has run, or give the appellate court the opportunity to rule upon the issue if appealed. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if we granted comity and the tribal appellate court reversed for one or more of the reasons contained in SDCL 1-1-25, such as the order or judgment in the trial court was fraudulently obtained? I strongly believe we should give the court of last resort the opportunity to speak for the nation before we jump the gun and grant comity. The issue is moot here but we are setting a bad precedent for our trial courts. Sooner or later one of these tribal court decisions is going to be reversed after we have granted comity. I hope it is later than sooner.