BRACKEEN v. BERNHARDT

No. 18-11479.

937 F.3d 406 (2019)

Chad Everet BRACKEEN; Jennifer Kay Brackeen; State of Texas; Altagracia Socorro Hernandez; State of Indiana; Jason Clifford; Frank Nicholas Libretti; State of Louisiana; Heather Lynn Libretti; Danielle Clifford, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. David BERNHARDT, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior; Tara Sweeney, in her official capacity as Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; Bureau of Indian Affairs; United States Department of Interior; United States of America; Alex Azar, In his official capacity as Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Defendants-Appellants, Cherokee Nation; Oneida Nation; Quinault Indian Nation; Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Intervenor Defendants-Appellants.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

MODIFIED August 16, 2019.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Matthew Dempsey McGill , Attorney, Lochlan Francis Shelfer , Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs-Appellees CHAD EVERET BRACKEEN, JENNIFER KAY BRACKEEN, ALTAGRACIA SOCORRO HERNANDEZ, JASON CLIFFORD, FRANK NICHOLAS LIBRETTI, HEATHER LYNN LIBRETTI, DANIELLE CLIFFORD.

Kyle Douglas Hawkins , Beth Ellen Klusmann, Esq. , Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Solicitor General, David J. Hacker , Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Environmental Protection Division, Austin, TX, for Plaintiffs Appellees STATE OF TEXAS, STATE OF INDIANA, STATE OF LOUISIANA.

Adam Howard Charnes, Esq. , Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, Kathryn Fort , Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, MI, Keith Michael Harper , Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, L.L.P., Washington, DC, Thurston Holderness Webb, Esq. , Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, L.L.P., Atlanta, GA, for Intervenor Defendants-Appellants.

Rachel Heron , U.S. Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Division-Appellate Section, Eric Grant , U.S. Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Division, JoAnn Kintz , U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Defendants-Appellants.

Paul Spruhan , Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Litigation and Employment Unit, Window Rock, AZ, Maria Wyckoff Boyce , Hogan Lovells US, L.L.P., Catherine E. Bratic , Houston, TX, Thomas Schmidt, Hogan Lovells US, L.L.P., New York, NY, Colleen Sinzdak , Hogan Lovells US, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Intervenor.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

Klint Cowan , Bryan N. B. King, Esq. , Attorney, Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens, Oklahoma City, OK, Amicus Curiae for UNITED KEETOOWAH BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS IN OKLAHOMA.

Timothy Mason Sandefur , Goldwater Institute, Phoenix, AZ, Amici Curiae for GOLDWATER INSTITUTE, CATO INSTITUTE, XAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ADOPTION ATTORNEYS.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Kevin G. Clarkson , Alaska Attorney General's Office, Anchorage, AK, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF ALASKA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Mark Brnovich , Attorney General's Office for the State of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF ARIZONA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Philip J. Weiser , Office of the Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law General Tax & Enforcement, Denver, CO, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF COLORADO.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Lawrence G. Wasden , Boise, ID, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF IDAHO.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Kwame Raoul , Illinois Attorney General's Office, Civil Appeals Division, Chicago, IL, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF ILLINOIS.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Thomas J. Miller , Des Moines, IA, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF IOWA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Aaron M. Frey, Augusta, ME, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MAINE.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Maura Healey , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Dana Nessel , Michigan Department of Attorney General, Solicitor General Division, Lansing, MI, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MICHIGAN.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Keith Ellison , St. Paul, MN, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MINNESOTA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Jim Hood , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Mississippi, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Timothy C. Fox , Helena, MT, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF MONTANA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Gurbir Grewal , Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, Trenton, NJ, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF NEW JERSEY.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Hector Balderas , Office of the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Ellen F. Rosenblum , Oregon Department of Justice, Salem, OR, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF OREGON.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Peter F. Neronha , Providence, RI, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF RHODE ISLAND.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Sean D. Reyes , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF UTAH.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Mark R. Herring , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Virginia; Richmond, VA, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF VIRGINIA.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Robert W. Ferguson , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Washington, Olympia, WA, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF WASHINGTON.

Christina Riehl , California Department of Justice, Office of The Attorney General — Public Rights Division/Bureau of Children's Justice, San Diego, CA, Joshua L. Kaul , Wisconsin Department of Justice, Madison, WI, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF WISCONSIN.

Matthew L. Fletcher , MSU College of Law, Indigenous Law & Policy Center, East Lansing, MI, Amici Curiae for ROBERT T. ANDERSON, BARBARA A. ATWOOD, BETHANY BERGER, KRISTEN CARPENTER, MATTHEW L. FLETCHER, CAROLE GOLDBERG, LORIE GRAHAM, SARAH KRAKOFF, ANGELA RILEY, ADDIE C ROLNICK, ALEX SKIBINE, MAYLINN SMITH, MICHALYN STEELE, REBECCA TSOSIE, CHARLES WILKINSON.

Hyland Hunt , Deutsch Hunt., P.L.L.C., Washington, DC, Roxanna Nowparast, Seattle, WA, Amicus Curiae for CASEY FAMILY PROGRAMS AND 30 OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COURTS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN'S WELFARE.

Michelle T. Miano , Attorney, Barnhouse Keegan Solimon & West, L.L.P., Los Ranchos Albuquerque, NM, Amicus Curiae for PROFESSOR GREGORY ABLAVSKY.

Erin C. Dougherty Lynch , Native American Rights Fund, Anchorage, AK, Samuel Daughety , Rose N. Petoskey , Dentons US, L.L.P., Daniel Lewerenz , Native American Rights Fund, Washington, DC, Samuel E. Kohn , Dentons US, L.L.P., San Francisco, CA, Amicus Curiae for 325 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES, ASSOCIATION ON AMERICAN INDIAN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS, NATIONAL INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ASSOCIATION, AND OTHER INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS.

David Steven Coale, Esq. , Paulette Miniter, Lynn , Pinker Cox & Hurst, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, Amicus Curiae for ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SCHOLARS.

Danielle Mary Spinelli , WilmerHale, L.L.P., Washington, DC, Alan E. Schoenfeld , WilmerHale, New York, NY, Amicus Curiae for MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

Kendra J. Hall , Senior Counsel, Kerry Kay Patterson , Racheal M. White Hawk , Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, L.L.P., San Diego, CA, Amicus Curiae for NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN AND INDIAN TRIBES AND ORGANIZATIONS.

William S. Consovoy , Consovoy McCarthy P.L.L.C., Arlington, VA, Amicus Curiae for THE PROJECT ON FAIR REPRESENTATION.

Benjamin Michael Flowers , Office of the Attorney General for the State of Ohio, Columbus, OH, Amicus Curiae for STATE OF OHIO.

Krystal Brunner Swendsboe , Wiley Rein, L.L.P., Washington, DC, Amicus Curiae for CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR INDIAN CHILD WELFARE.

Before WIENER, DENNIS, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.


This case presents facial constitutional challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) and statutory and constitutional challenges to the 2016 administrative rule (the Final Rule) that was promulgated by the Department of the Interior to clarify provisions of ICWA. Plaintiffs are the states of Texas, Indiana...

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