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June 23, 2023

Supreme Court Rules Against Navajo Nation in Dispute over Water Rights
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Back in the U.S., the Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation
over claims the federal government has failed in its duty to address the
tribe's water rights. Writing for the majority in Thursday's 5-4 ruling,
Justice Brett Kavanaugh ruled that the 1868 treaty that established the
Navajo Reservation said nothing about an "affirmative duty" for the
United States to secure water. The court's three liberal justices joined
Neil Gorsuch in dissent, writing that the government has a duty to
properly manage the water it holds for the tribe. Thousands of Navajo
Nation members lack access to running water in their homes, even though
the Colorado River runs along the northwestern border of their
reservation.


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