United States v. New Mexico

LEWIS, Chief Judge.

The United States brought this action seeking enforcement of the trust provisions of land grants of 100,000 acres made to New Mexico by Congress for “a miners’ hospital for disabled miners.” As representative beneficiaries, the district court allowed 28 individual New Mexico miners and the United Mine Workers of America to intervene. On a motion for summary judgment, the district court found that New Mexico was in breach of the trust provisions governing the land grants and ordered an accounting and compliance with the trust provisions. New Mexico appeals several aspects of…