Helen M. Bautista, on Her Own Behalf and on Behalf of All Filipinos Similarly Situated v. Concentrated Employment Program of the Department of Labor

This is an appeal from a district court order dismissing appellants’ amended complaint for lack of prosecution. We affirm.

Appellants’ initial complaint filed on July 3, 1968, was dismissed with leave to amend on September 25, 1969. The amended complaint withstood a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and appellees filed interrogatories on May 19, 1970. The progress of the litigation then halted until March 4, 1971, when pursuant to Local Rule 119(a) the Clerk of Court notified the parties to appear on April 25 to show cause why the case should not be dismissed for want of prosecution. Appellants did not respond to this notice, and the matter was continued until June 25. On May 1, appellants finally answered the May, 1970 interrogatories, and two weeks later served interrogatories on ap-pellees. After the June 25 hearing, the District Court dismissed the case and refused to vacate the dismissal after another hearing on August 20.

Appellants concede, as they must, that the District Court has power to dismiss the case for want of prosecution. See Local Rule 119(a); Fed.R.Civ. P. 41(b); and Link v. Wabash Railroad Co., 370 U.S. 626, 629 , 82 S.Ct. 1386 , 8…