Monday Top of the Scroll: Supreme Court will reconsider Navajos’ claim for more water from the Colorado River
With California and the Southwest facing a historic drought, the Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a 9th Circuit Court decision that held the Navajo Nation has a right to take more water from the Colorado River. The appeals court had pointed to the 1868 treaty in which the U.S. government agreed the Navajos would have a “permanent home” on their reservation, ruling the treaty “necessarily implied rights” to an adequate amount of water to live and farm. … The 3-0 ruling did not say how much extra water the Navajos were entitled to. The sprawling reservation previously used water from the San Juan River in Utah, a tributary of the Colorado, but the 9th Circuit panel said the Navajos were entitled to bring a claim for more water from the lower part of the main river.
Related articles:
- NBC News: Supreme Court agrees to weigh Navajo Nation water rights battle
- The Associated Press: High court to hear water dispute between Navajo, government
- Courthouse News Service: Supreme Court adds fight over Colorado River water rights to its docket
- The Hill: Supreme Court to hear case on Navajo Nation rights to Colorado River
- Reuters: Supreme Court will hear Navajo Nation’s water-rights case
- Circle of Blue: November 7 - Supreme Court Takes Up Navajo Nation’s Claim to Colorado River