Arizona v. Navajo Nation: A Crucial Legal Battle Amidst the Southwest’s Drought Crisis
On March 20, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Arizona v. Navajo Nation, wherein the Navajo Nation alleged that the United States government breached its legal responsibility to ensure access to water on the Navajo reservation. Of the 173,667 residents of the Navajo Nation, about 30% of the population does not have reliable access to clean drinking water. A decades-long drought in the Southwest, worsened by climate change, has made water even scarcer.
In this episode of “Tip of the Iceberg” host Ethan Brown breaks down the main issues raised by Arizona v. Navajo Nation, how the justices might rule, and the strange concession that the U.S. attorney repeatedly made throughout the hearing.
As of May 2023, this case is still pending.
