Kingman Reef Atoll v. United States

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

KINGMAN REEF ATOLL INVESTMENTS, 

L.L.C.,

Plaintiff-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; No. 07-16817

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTERIOR; GALE A. NORTON,  D.C. No.

CV-05-00151-JMS

Secretary of the Interior; UNITED

OPINION

STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE;

STEVEN A. WILLIAMS, in his official capacity as Director of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Defendants-Appellees.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii J. Michael Seabright, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted June 20, 2008—Honolulu, Hawaii

Filed September 4, 2008

Before: Alfred T. Goodwin, Pamela Ann Rymer, and Sandra S. Ikuta, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Ikuta

12201 KINGMAN REEF v. UNITED STATES 12205

COUNSEL

Therese Y. Cannata (argued), Michael M. Ching, and Carolyn A. Johnston of Cannata, Ching & O’Toole LLP, San Fran- cisco, California, Christian P. Porter and Donna H. Yama- moto of Brooks Tom Porter & Quitquit LLP, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Jon M. Van Dyke, Honolulu, Hawaii, for the plaintiff-appellant.

Allen M. Brabender…