Stand Up for California! et al v. United States Department of the Interior et al

Filing 12

ORDER RELATING and REASSIGNING CASE signed by District Judge Anthony W. Ishii on 1/12/2017. (Sant Agata, S)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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CASE NO. 2:16-CV-02681-AWI-EPG

STAND UP FOR CALIFORNIA!,
7911 Logan Lane, Penryn, California
95663;

ORDER RELATING AND
REASSIGNING CASE

RANDALL BRANNON,
26171 Valerie Avenue, Madera,
California 93638;

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MADERA MINISTERIAL
ASSOCIATION,
17755 Road 26, Madera, California
93638;

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SUSAN STJERNE,
24349 Tropical Drive,
Madera, California 93638;
FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD –
MADERA,
22444 Avenue 18 ½, Madera, California
93637; and
DENNIS SYLVESTER,
18355 Road 25,
Madera, California 93638,

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Plaintiffs,
v.
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
THE INTERIOR,
1849 C Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20240;
SARAH MARGARET ROFFEY
JEWELL, in her official capacity as
Secretary, U.S. Department of the
Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20240;
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, U.S.
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240;
LAWRENCE ROBERTS, in his official
capacity as Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S.
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240,
Defendants.
On November 11, 2016, Plaintiffs Stand Up for California!, Randall Brannon, Madera

14 Ministerial Association, Susan Stjerne, First Assembly of God-Madera, and Dennis Sylvester
15 (“Plaintiffs”) filed an action against the United States Department of the Interior, Sarah Jewell,
16 as Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Lawrence
17 Roberts, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Doc. 1. Plaintiffs filed a notice of
18 related cases shortly thereafter, indicating their belief that the case is related to two other cases
19 filed in this District: (1) North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians v. State of California, 1:15-cv20 00419-AWI-SAB (E.D. Cal., filed Mar. 17, 2015) (“North Fork v. California”) and (2) Picayune
21 Rancheria v. United States Department of the Interior, No. 16-cv-950-AWI-EPG (E.D. Cal.,
22 filed July 1, 2016) (“Picayune v. Dept. of Interior”).
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Local Rules provide that when a “Judge to whom the action with the lower or lowest

24 number has been assigned determines that assignment of the actions to a single Judge is likely to
25 effect a savings of judicial effort or other economies, that Judge is authorized to enter an order
26 reassigning all higher numbered related actions to himself or herself.” Local Rule 123(c). The
27 above-entitled action appears to involve similar questions of fact and law as North Fork v.
28 California and Picayune v. Dept. of Interior. Specifically, Plaintiffs seek relief that largely
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1 overlaps with the relief sought in Picayune v. Dept. of Interior, namely, preventing Class III
2 gaming on the approximately 305-acre plot of land in Madera, California, held in trust by the
3 United States for the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians (“the Madera Parcel”). Assignment
4 to the same judge is likely to effect a substantial savings of judicial effort. See Local Rule
5 123(a)(3). Because the undersigned is assigned the lowest numbered related case, the above6 entitled case will be reassigned from the dockets of District Judge Willaim B. Shubb and
7 Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman to the dockets of Senior District Judge Anthony Ishii and
8 referred to Magistrate Judge Erica P. Grosjean.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.

11 Dated: January 12, 2017

SENIOR DISTRICT JUDGE

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