Category: Navajo Nation

Supreme Court Rules Against Navajos in Water Dispute

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 22 that the federal government has no obligation to help the Navajo Nation gain access to water, finding that a 19th-century treaty with the government imposes no such duty. Oral arguments in the case, which took place on March 20, centered on the Navajo Nation’s desire to draw…


Supreme Court Rules Against Navajo Nation in Water Dispute

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 22 that the federal government has no obligation to help the Navajo Nation gain access to water, finding that a 19th-century treaty with the government imposes no such duty. Oral arguments in the case, which took place on March 20, centered on the Navajo Nation’s desire to draw…


Navajo Nation Asks Supreme Court to Let It Access Colorado River Water

The Supreme Court heard a dispute on March 20 about whether an Indian tribe can draw water from the Colorado River over the opposition of several thirsty nearby states. The case pits the Navajo Nation, a large Indian reservation occupying territory in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, against the states of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, the…


Navajo Nation Fights Back Against Biden Administration’s Move to Restrict Drilling Near Chaco Canyon

The Biden administration conveyed its intention Monday to pause new oil and gas drilling for twenty years within a ten-mile radius of the Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, which already prohibits oil and gas drilling within its borders, drawing objections from the 24th Navajo Nation Council, which represents allottees of oil and gas leasing within the…


Autopsy: Teenage Girl Died From Dog Attack on Navajo Nation

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—An autopsy has confirmed that a 13-year-old girl was killed by a pack of dogs while taking a walk near her family’s home on the Navajo Nation. Lyssa Rose Upshaw had extensive injuries that were consistent with canine teeth marks, including cuts and abrasions on her neck and head and deep soft tissue wounds…