ABQ Times

WASHINGTON—On June 22, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled the federal government does not have an affirmative trust responsibility to secure water for the Navajo Nation, in a decision with far-reaching implications for tribes across the the West.  

“This shameful Supreme Court decision is yet another devastating setback for Indigenous communities in New Mexico and across the country. 

"I am shocked by the majority opinion in this case and its efforts to turn back the clock on more than a hundred years of legal precedent protecting tribal water rights and federal trust and treaty responsibilities under the Winters Doctrine, decided by the Court in 1908.

"As with other extreme decisions by SCOTUS, including the Dobbs decision which undermined reproductive rights, Sackett decision which undermined Clean Water, and the Castro-Huerta decision which undermined tribal sovereignty this—this decision is a direct affront to tribal rights and settled law. 

"This decision could have far-reaching implications for Tribes across the West including New Mexico. Tragically, we know this decision will fall hardest on the most vulnerable, including the nearly 40% of households on the Navajo Nation that do not have access to clean water and must water haul water from miles away.   

"The treaty of 1868 promised the Navajo Nation a ‘permanent home.’ A home without water is a promise broken. And when Justices Kavanaugh, Roberts, Thomas, Alito, and Barrett turn on their tap tonight, I hope that they think of the 170,000 Navajo citizens who live that broken promise every single day.  

“I’ve been working my entire career to address tribal water rights, access, and equity. The U.S government has both a moral and a legal trust responsibility to provide the life sustaining waters that were tribes reserved when they signed treaties with and ceded lands to the federal government. In Congress, I will never stop fighting to protect Indigenous rights and to address the water needs of our communities.

"Today’s decision is yet another example of how a corrupted Supreme Court, captured by Special Interests and big donors, is turning back the clock on Tribal and American rights. The Court is broken—and must be reformed!"

Original source can be found here.