Court Opinion

ID: 9685562
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 14:47:27.698596+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:07.662712
License: Public Domain

AMUNDSON, Justice
(dissenting).
Under 18 U.S.C. § 1161, Congress authorized liquor transactions in Indian Country so long as the transactions complied with tribal and state law. In Potawatomi Indian Tribe v. Oklahoma Tax Comm’n, 975 F.2d 1459 (10th Cir.1992), the court held that the state could require a tribe to obtain a 3.2 license to sell beer at its convenience store and golf course located on Indian land. In allowing this requirement the court stated: “[A] state’s authority to regulate liquor transactions is not dependent on the state’s exercise of jurisdiction over Indian Country.” Id. at 1461.
In this case, the Mellette County Commissioners held:
As the property described above is on tribal lands criminal jurisdiction was discussed at length with no confirmation in writing submitted from the Rosebud Liquor Authority ... allowing county criminal jurisdiction on this property ... After the group left the meeting room the discussion continued and Bennett moved to include the above jurisdiction matter in his motion for denial of the application.
Since authority to regulate the licensing does not require an exercise of criminal jurisdiction in Indian country, I cannot find any rational basis for equating lack of criminal jurisdiction to “unsuitable location” under the statute. This seems to be a classic example of comparing apples to oranges. The first time the words “unsuitability of location” crops up in this meager record is in the trial court’s memorandum decision and findings of fact and conclusions of law. It seems totally inconsistent to require an applicant to secure a license because you have jurisdiction over its issuance and then turn down the application because the applicant cannot guarantee compliance with the liquor law. Where in the statute does it require a guarantee of compliance? If a license holder fails to comply, does not the licensing authority have the right to deny renewal of the license the next time around (SDCL 35-4^41) or even revoke the license if there is a crime wave at that location? SDCL 35-2-10. Other than this criminal jurisdiction issue, which is not berthed in the statute, I see no other evidence of unsuitability in the record.
Therefore, I would hold that it was an abuse of discretion to deny the applicant a liquor license.