The state of Maine House of Representatives has approved a bill that would let Native Americans in Maine benefit from federal laws despite a state land claims settlement. The bill received bipartisan support. The vote would be enough to overcome a possible veto from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. The Senate takes up the bill next. Tribes in the state are governed by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. It stipulates that they are bound by state law, treating tribal reservations much like municipalities and generally barring federal laws that undermine state law. That sets them apart from the other 570 federally recognized tribes.
The Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation in a dispute involving water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. States that draw water from the river — Arizona, Nevada and Colorado — and water districts in California had urged the court to decide for them, and that’s what the justices did. Colorado said siding with the Navajo Nation would undermine existing agreements and disrupt the river’s management. The Biden administration said that if the court ruled for the Navajo Nation, the government could face lawsuits from many other tribes. The Navajo Nation’s president says the ruling is “disappointing” and lawyers are reviewing it. A lawyer who represented states opposing the tribe’s claims says the justices “ruled exactly right.”
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
