Case: Blackfeet Nation v. Stapleton

4:20-cv-00095 | U.S. District Court for the District of Montana

Filed Date: Oct. 9, 2020

Closed Date: Oct. 15, 2020

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Case Summary

This case concerns the constitutionality of the voter registration and polling locations provided by the State of Montana that are accessible to the members of the Blackfeet Nation. On October 9, 2020, the Blackfeet Nation on behalf of its members filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana against Corey Stapleton, in his official capacity as Montana Secretary State; Pondera County, Montana; Kody Farkell, in her official capacity as Pondera County Clerk and Recorder/E…

This case concerns the constitutionality of the voter registration and polling locations provided by the State of Montana that are accessible to the members of the Blackfeet Nation.

On October 9, 2020, the Blackfeet Nation on behalf of its members filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana against Corey Stapleton, in his official capacity as Montana Secretary State; Pondera County, Montana; Kody Farkell, in her official capacity as Pondera County Clerk and Recorder/Election Administrator; and Dale J. Seifert, Thomas A. Kuka, and Jim Morren, each in their official capacity as Pondera County Commissioners. The plaintiff alleged that the nearest polling place to the Blackfeet Nation was so far as to be violation of the plaintiff’s rights. The plaintiff claimed violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Montana Secretary of State Election Directive #10-2015, and the Montana constitution. The plaintiff sought both injunctive and declaratory relief.

On October 13, 2020, defendants filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.

Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice on October 15, 2020, after reaching an agreement in which defendants agreed to provide voter registration and polling locations in accord with the Blackfeet Nation’s suggested relief.

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Summary Authors

Andrew Ulbrich (11/13/2024)

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18531765/parties/blackfeet-nation-v-stapleton/

Judge(s)

Christensen, Dana Lewis (Montana)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Campbell, Matthew Lee (Colorado)

DeLeon, Jacqueline D. (South Dakota)

DeLeon, Jacqueline D. (Colorado)

Furlong, Wesley J. (Montana)

Attorney for Defendant

Judge(s)

Christensen, Dana Lewis (Montana)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Campbell, Matthew Lee (Colorado)

DeLeon, Jacqueline D. (South Dakota)

DeLeon, Jacqueline D. (Colorado)

Furlong, Wesley J. (Montana)

Kelty, Samantha B (District of Columbia)

Rate, Alexander H. (Montana)

Attorney for Defendant

James, Austin M. (Montana)

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
1 4:20-cv-00095	Complaint For Declaratory and Injunctive Relief	Oct. 9, 2020	Oct. 9, 2020 Complaint
5 4:20-cv-00095	Defendant Secretary of State's Motion to Dismiss	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 Pleading / Motion / Brief
4 4:20-cv-00095	Defendant Secretary of States Motion to Dismiss	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 Pleading / Motion / Brief
10 4:20-cv-00095	Order	Oct. 15, 2020	Oct. 15, 2020 Order/Opinion

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18531765/blackfeet-nation-v-stapleton/

Last updated Aug. 9, 2025, 10:42 p.m.

ECF Number	Description	Date	Link Date / Link
	Filing Fee Received	Oct. 9, 2020	Oct. 9, 2020 PACER
1	COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF against All Defendants, filed by Blackfeet Nation. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A, # 2 Exhibit B, # 3 Exhibit C, # 4 Exhibit D, # 5 Exhibit E, # 6 Exhibit F, # 7 Exhibit G, # 8 Exhibit H, # 9 Exhibit I, # 10 Exhibit J, # 11 Exhibit K, # 12 Exhibit L, # 13 Exhibit M, # 14 Exhibit N, # 15 Exhibit O, # 16 Gray Declaration, # 17 Stapleton - Blank Summons, # 18 County of Pondera - Blank Summons, # 19 Farkell - Blank Summons, # 20 Seifert - Blank Summons, # 21 Kuka - Blank Summons, # 22 Morren - Blank Summons, # 23 Civil Cover Sheet) (SLR) (Entered: 10/13/2020) 1 Exhibit A View on PACER 2 Exhibit B View on PACER 3 Exhibit C View on PACER 4 Exhibit D View on PACER 5 Exhibit E View on PACER 6 Exhibit F View on PACER 7 Exhibit G View on PACER 8 Exhibit H View on PACER 9 Exhibit I View on PACER 10 Exhibit J View on PACER 11 Exhibit K View on PACER 12 Exhibit L View on PACER 13 Exhibit M View on PACER 14 Exhibit N View on PACER 15 Exhibit O View on PACER 16 Gray Declaration View on PACER 17 Stapleton - Blank Summons View on PACER 18 County of Pondera - Blank Summons View on PACER 19 Farkell - Blank Summons View on PACER 20 Seifert - Blank Summons View on PACER 21 Kuka - Blank Summons View on PACER 22 Morren - Blank Summons View on PACER 23 Civil Cover Sheet View on PACER	Oct. 9, 2020	Oct. 9, 2020 Clearinghouse
	Filing fee: $ 400.00, receipt number 0977-2556605. (SLR)	Oct. 9, 2020	Oct. 9, 2020 PACER
2	Summons Issued as to All Defendants. Issued Summonses emailed to Plaintiff's Counsel. (Attachments: # 1 Issued Summons - Pondera County, # 2 Issued Summons - Farkell, # 3 Issued Summons - Seifert, # 4 Issued Summons - Kuka, # 5 Issued Summons - Morren) (SLR) (Entered: 10/13/2020) 1 Issued Summons - Pondera County View on PACER 2 Issued Summons - Farkell View on PACER 3 Issued Summons - Seifert View on PACER 4 Issued Summons - Kuka View on PACER 5 Issued Summons - Morren View on PACER	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 PACER
3	Notice of Appearance	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 PACER
4	Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 Clearinghouse
5	Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 Clearinghouse
	Filing Fee Received	Oct. 13, 2020	Oct. 13, 2020 PACER
6	Notice of Correction	Oct. 14, 2020	Oct. 14, 2020 PACER
7	Notice of Correction	Oct. 14, 2020	Oct. 14, 2020 PACER
8	Order Setting Hearing on Motion	Oct. 14, 2020	Oct. 14, 2020 PACER
9	Notice of Voluntary Dismissal 1 Exhibit A (Blackfeet Nation-Pondera County Agreement) View on RECAP	Oct. 14, 2020	Oct. 14, 2020 PACER
10	ORDER re 9 Notice of Voluntary Dismissal filed by Blackfeet Nation. In light of Plaintiff's notice of voluntary dismissal, IT IS ORDERED that all pending motions are DENIED as MOOT, and all pending deadlines, including the hearing set for October 22, 2020, are VACATED. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court is directed to close this case. Signed by Judge Dana L. Christensen on 10/15/2020. (MMS)	Oct. 15, 2020	Oct. 15, 2020 RECAP