Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?
Irreparable harm is a slippery slope in appeals. You need to prove irreparable harm is likely in the absence of an injunction. Getting older is a fact of life and prior physical injuries can not be repaired by a court ruling. That kind of harm may or may not be irreparable but the court has no way to connect the forces of nature and circumstance with the relief sought in the consolidated cases. Loss of income is not irreparable harm.
Appeals courts are not the place to make a record since they are only going to consider evidence provided in the court of original jurisdiction. Trying to up your game at an appeals hearing? There are no "do overs" outside of the court of original jurisdiction. The lawyers know that even if the miners don't.
I've read the declarations of the plaintiffs in the appeal. Their declarations read very much like an appeal for mercy from the court. That might be helpful but the place to make applications for mercy are in the court of original jurisdiction, not in an appeal of the court's rulings. I would agree that they are due some mercy after all this time. Read the transcripts of the Injunction hearing, the lawyers are asking the Court to extend the case beyond the five year limit and the judge is saying he wants to finish the case as soon as possible. Perhaps the plaintiffs should ask their lawyers for mercy?
If the plaintiffs wanted to establish a right they should have established that right in their original pleadings. Not one of the original plaintiffs in the consolidated cases even alleged they had perfected their locations. Without a perfected location they could only enforce their possession against other locators.
This is not a case about infringement of the claim owners possessory rights against subsequent junior locators. The "rights" the plaintiffs have relied on are not applicable to government takings. Wrong plaintiffs and wrong argument.
As I've stated before if it weren't for Judge Ochoa taking the bull by the horns and raising the issue of permitting that is unavailable being the same as a ban on mining the consolidated dredging cases would still be waiting for their first win. He made it clear that he had had enough of the takings argument no matter how pretty you dress it up. Now you want to complain to his boss you think he did a bad job?
Sure... piss off the only judge that has done you right.
