IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
____________________________________
) 
ELOUISE PEPION COBELL, et al., ) 
Plaintiffs, 
v. 
GALE A. NORTON, Secretary of 
the Interior, et al., 
) 
) 
)
)
)
)
) No. 1:96CV01285 
(Judge Lamberth) 
Defendants. 
)
) 
DEFENDANTS’ OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR EXPEDITED 
CONSIDERATION OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITION 
TESTIMONY OF ANSON BAKER AND REQUEST FOR SANCTIONS 
On March 15, 2004, in response to a motion for a protective order from Defendants and a 
motion to compel from Plaintiffs, the Court ordered that Anson Baker, an Interior employee, 
submit to a deposition. Order of March 15, 2004. The Court, however, placed limits on the 
scope of the deposition. See id. Mr. Baker's deposition began on March 31, 2004. A dispute 
arose concerning the limits on the scope of the deposition imposed by the Court, and counsel for 
Defendants instructed Mr. Baker not to answer certain questions. On April 26, 2004, this dispute 
prompted Plaintiffs to file a motion to compel answers from Mr. Baker. Although Plaintiffs 
waited nearly a month following the deposition to file their motion to compel, they also filed a 
motion to expedite consideration of that motion ("Motion to Expedite"). The Motion to Expedite 
should be denied. 
The only reason supplied by Plaintiffs to support expedited consideration of their motion 
to compel is the vague assertion that: "Time is of the essence." Motion to Expedite at 2.5.1 
1/ The page of the Motion to Expedite on which this quoted language appears is actually 
unnumbered. It follows page two, but precedes page three. Therefore, to avoid confusion, we
Plaintiffs do not elaborate. Plaintiffs provide no connection between this assertion and the relief 
sought in their motion to compel. None exists and their motion should, therefore, be denied. 
CONCLUSION 
For these reasons, Plaintiffs' Motion to Expedite should be denied. 
Respectfully submitted, Dated: May 10, 2004 
ROBERT D. McCALLUM, JR. 
Associate Attorney General 
PETER D. KEISLER 
Assistant Attorney General 
STUART E. SCHIFFER 
Deputy Assistant Attorney General 
J. CHRISTOPHER KOHN 
Director 
/s/ John T. Stemplewicz 
SANDRA P. SPOONER 
D.C. Bar No. 261495 
Deputy Director 
JOHN T. STEMPLEWICZ 
Senior Trial Counsel 
Commercial Litigation Branch 
Civil Division 
P.O. Box 875 
Ben Franklin Station 
Washington, D.C. 20044-0875 
(202) 514-7194 
have designated the unnumbered page as page "2.5" for purposes of citation. 
2
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 
I hereby certify that, on May 10, 2004 the foregoing Defendants’ Opposition to Plaintiffs' 
Motion for Expedited Consideration of Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Deposition Testimony of 
Anson Baker and Request for Sanctions was served by Electronic Case Filing, and on the 
following who is not registered for Electronic Case Filing, by facsimile: 
Earl Old Person (Pro se) 
Blackfeet Tribe 
P.O. Box 850 
Browning, MT 59417 
Fax (406) 338-7530 
/s/ Kevin P. Kingston 
Kevin P. Kingston
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
ELOUISE PEPION COBELL, et al., ) 
Plaintiffs, 
v. Case No. 1:96CV01285 
(Judge Lamberth) 
)
)
)
)
) 
GALE NORTON, Secretary of the Interior, et al., ) 
Defendants. 
)
) 
__________________________________________) 
ORDER 
This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion For Expedited Consideration of 
Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Deposition Testimony of Anson Baker And Request For Sanctions 
[Dkt. # 2563]. Upon consideration of the Motion, the responses thereto, and the record in this 
case, it is hereby 
ORDERED that the Motion For Expedited Consideration is DENIED. 
SO ORDERED. 
Date: _________ 
ROYCE C. LAMBERTH 
United States District Judge
cc: 
Sandra P. Spooner 
John T. Stemplewicz 
Commercial Litigation Branch 
Civil Division 
P.O. Box 875 
Ben Franklin Station 
Washington, D.C. 20044-0875 
Fax (202) 514-9163 
Dennis M Gingold, Esq. 
Mark Kester Brown, Esq. 
607 - 14th Street, NW, Box 6 
Washington, DC 20005 
Fax (202) 318-2372 
Keith Harper, Esq. 
Richard A. Guest, Esq. 
Native American Rights Fund 
1712 N Street, NW 
Washington, D.C. 20036-2976 
Fax (202) 822-0068 
Elliott Levitas, Esq. 
1100 Peachtree Street, Suite 2800 
Atlanta, GA 30309-4530 
Earl Old Person (Pro se) 
Blackfeet Tribe 
P.O. Box 850 
Browning, MT 59417 
(406) 338-7530 
Rod Lewis, Esq. 
Davis, Wright & Tremaine, LLP 
1300 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 2300 
Portland, Oregon 97201-5630 
(503) 778-5299