User:Def1jacko/Wilkins v. United States

Wilkins v. United States, No. [https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/598/21-1164/#:~:text=Justia%20Summary&text=The%20government%20moved%20to%20dismiss,dismissal%20for%20lack%20of%20jurisdiction. 21-1164], 598 U.S. ___ (2023), is a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Quite Title Act's (QTA) twelve year statute of limitation is a non-jurisdictional claims-processing rule.

Oral arguments were held before the Supreme Court in November 2022. In March 2023 the supreme court held in a 6-3 decision written by Justice Sotomayor, held that because jurisdictional rules are disruptive to litigation, something a claim-processing rule seeks to fix, the court will only view a procedural rule as jurisdictional if congress "clearly states" it. The court believes that the statute of limitations in the QTA lacks a jurisdictional clear testament and therefore is no-jurisdictional. It was additional held that previous cases like Block v. North Dakota ex rel. never definitively ruled that the statute of limitations was jurisdictional. Justice Thomas dissented stating that the court has long held waivers of sovereign immunity, like the QTA, to be jurisdictional.

Background
The case concerned Robbins Gulch Road which runs between Highway 93 and the Bitterroot National Forest, crossing the private properties of Larry Wilkins and Jane Stanton near Connor, Montana. The previous owners of the property granted the United States an easement for the road in 1963. Wilkins and Stanton sued the United States under the QTA to prevent public use of the road, which the Government contends was part of the easement. The Government moved to dismiss the suit under the QTA's twelve year statute of limitation. The petitioners claim that the statute of limitations is a non-jurisdictional claims-processing rule, a rule put in place to establish an orderly process of litigation. The district court agreed with the Government and dismissed the case for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the court below, stating that ''Block v. North Dakota ex rel. Board of Univ. and School Lands'' (1983) already decided that the statute of limitations was jurisdictional.

Supreme Court
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in June 2022 in order to revolve a split between the ninth and seventh circuits.

The National Federation of Independent Business filled a amicus briefs in support of the petitioners, highlighting that the government infringement into the private property of the petitioners have caused them great damages.