Court Opinion

ID: 9740473
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:36:15.951634+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:18.434210
License: Public Domain

STEINMETZ, J.
(dissenting). The majority opinion does not recite whether the tribal authorities license drivers operating on the reservation roads and highways or whether such drivers are required to possess a State of Wisconsin operator’s license. Also left unanswered is if a *438tribal driver’s license is issued, is it valid on any highway other than those on the reservation ?
If the driver’s license of the tribal member, such as James A. Webster, is granted by the state as an operating privilege, then the balancing of the interest must be in favor of state enforcement. Unanswered is whether the tribal government can impose fines or penalties for a person’s violation of state motor vehicle laws.
Certainly, the state has a strong interest in the safety of its highways to all persons using them and, therefore, applying the balancing test of Rice v. Refiner, 103 S. Ct. 3291 (1983), I would reverse the trial court. The impact of jurisdiction over motor vehicle rules and regulations and, in particular, the licensing provisions, have an impact beyond the reservation boundaries. Persons other than Menominee tribe members use Highway 47. Many nonenrolled tribal members use it as a regular means of travel. After this decision of the majority, the state should post signs on Highway 47 at the borders of the reservation warning users that Wisconsin motor vehicle laws do not apply to members of the Menominee tribe while on the highway within the reservation.
Argument was made in this case that confusion of authorities would prevail among the federal government, tribal government and the state if state rules and regulations were applied to Highway 47. This does not seem evident since applying state motor vehicle rules and regulations to Highway 47, a state highway, to all persons using it would eliminate, not cause confusion.
There is a claim that this majority decision applies only to the Menominee reservation and enrolled members of the Menominee nation; however, the same criteria if present could be inferred to apply to all reservations. They are:
(1) No direct federal pre-emption;
*439(2) An established tribal government with its own set of rules and regulations which have been and are enforced ; and
(3) No paramount state interest or a presumption against state regulation.
Balancing the interests as provided for in Rice tip in favor of applying Wisconsin motor vehicle laws to all users of a state highway such as Highway 47, especially as they apply to operating privileges.
I would reverse.