November 03, 2015
The U.S. government and a California tribe rebutted arguments from two state water utilities claiming rights to groundwater in the Coachella Valley, telling a district judge Monday that the agencies are misreading U.S. Supreme Court precedent to introduce defenses not relevant to the case.
October 20, 2015
Two California water utilities averred Monday that they can put forward equitable defenses to prove a tribe waited too long to assert claims to groundwater in the Coachella Valley, despite the tribe and federal government saying they are barred from doing so.
September 21, 2015
The U.S. government and a Native American tribe urged a California federal judge Friday to reject arguments from two state water utilities in a battle over who has rights to groundwater in the Coachella Valley, saying the agencies' equitable defenses are not applicable as a matter of law.
August 19, 2015
Two California state water agencies pushed Tuesday in California federal court to pause a Native American tribe's suit over crucial water rights in the Coachella Valley while they appeal a threshold initial ruling, while the tribe argued that the agencies are overestimating their chances of a successful appeal.
August 05, 2015
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and two water agencies traded blows in California federal court Tuesday, with the agencies calling for a stay pending the Ninth Circuit's consideration of a water rights ruling and the tribe arguing it's likely to win that appeal.
April 28, 2015
High-profile environmental lawsuits in Indian Country this year include disputes over energy projects proposed on culturally important sites, the rights of tribes to manage the implementation of federal clean air and water statutes, and the responsibility of states to ensure tribes have clean water and plenty of fish.
March 23, 2015
A California federal judge on Friday said the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' federal reserved water rights extend to groundwater, but nixed the tribe's aboriginal right of occupancy claim in an ongoing tug of war over crucial water supplies in the Coachella Valley.