Historicallysovereign
immunity
isalegaldoctrinethatprotectsthefederal,state,andtribal
governmentsfromlawsuitsthatwouldcausethegovernmentstopayoutmoney,realestate,orgoods
fromthegovernmental
treasury.
Thebasicideabehindsovereignimmunityisthatpropertyheld
by
thegovernment(includingassets
in
thepublictreasury)are
in
trustforallthecitizens.Thepublictreasuryandpublicpropertyare,therefore,to
he
usedforthebenefitofallthecitizensequallynotjustafewindividuals(suchasthepeoplewhofilelawsuits)Thedoctrineofsovereignimmunity
is
criticallyimportantwhereit
truly
appliestosuitsagainstthesovereign.Buthowdoesonedetermineifasuit
is
against
thesovereign?Thesimpleanswer
is
that
asuitisagainstthesovereign
if
"thejudgmentsoughtwouldex-penditselfonthepublictreasuryordomain."
SeeLand
v.
Dollar,370US
731(1947).In
many
casestherulecan
be
difficulttoapplybecausethesovereignactsthroughhumanindividuals,andtheseagentsareoftenthenameddefendants.Sovereignimmunitydoesnotpreventsuitschallengingtheactsofindividualswhoviolatefederal
01'
otherapplicablelaw.ThePlaintiffcaninvokejurisdictionunder28U.S.C.1331(1994).because"contracts
with
thegovernmentaregovernedbyfederalcommonlaw,and...subjectmatterjurisdictionundersection1331thusexistsovercausesofactionarisingfromcontractstowhichthegovernment
is
aparty."
FallsRiverwayRealty,Inc.v.CityofNiagaraFalls.
754F.2d
49.
55nA(2derr.1985)(citationsomitted);
cfBoyle
v.
UnitedTech.Corp.•
487U.S.500,
504
(1988)(notingthat"obligationstoandrightsoftheUnitedStatesunderitscontractsaregovernedexclusivelybyfederallawn).Plaintiffiscognizantthatashowingoffederalquestionjurisdiction,however,doesnotrelieveaclaimantfromtheburden
to
establishawaiverofsovereignimmunity.Plaintifffiledthepresentcauseofactionmindfulofsovereignimmunitybutalsobelievingthatsincetheactionwas
for
thepurposeofimplementingremediesthatresulted
in
deliveryand/ordistributionofmoniestothe
soverehmrather
than
paymentfromthesovereip
that
the
underlyingdoctrineofsovereign
immunity
wasnotapplicabletothepresentcauseofaction.Plaintiff
is
notattemptingtotake
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