Opinion
No. 14-30109
11-01-2016
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. WILLIAM TAYLER KIRKALDIE, Defendant-Appellee.
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
D.C. No. 4:14-cr-00012-BMM MEMORANDUM Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Montana
Brian M. Morris, District Judge, Presiding Before: LEAVY, GRABER, and CHRISTEN, Circuit Judges.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
The government appeals from the district court's order granting William Tayler Kirkaldie's motion to dismiss his indictment for domestic abuse by a habitual offender under 18 U.S.C. § 117(a). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we reverse and remand for further proceedings.
The district court dismissed the indictment on the ground that the government could not use Kirkaldie's uncounseled tribal court convictions to prove an element of the offense. After the district court's decision, the Supreme Court decided that the use of uncounseled tribal court convictions is permissible in a prosecution under section 117. See United States v. Bryant, 136 S. Ct. 1954, 1966 (2016). We agree with the parties that remand is required under Bryant. Accordingly, we reverse the district court's order dismissing Kirkaldie's indictment and remand for further proceedings.
REVERSED and REMANDED.