United States v. Navajo Nation (556 U.S. 287)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided April 6, 2009 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 556 U.S. 287 · 129 S. Ct. 1547
- Decided
- April 6, 2009
- Term
- October Term 2008
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. For over 15 years, the Indian Tribe known as the Navajo Nation has been pursuing a claim for money damages against the Federal Government based on an asserted breach of trust by the Secretary of the Interior in connection with his approval of amendments to a coal lease executed by the Tribe. The original lease took effect in 1964. The amendments were approved in 1987. The litigation was initiated in 1993. Six years ago, we held that “the Tribe’s claim for compensation... fails,” United States v. Navajo Nation, 537 U. S. 488, 493 (2003) (Navajo I), but after further proceedings on remand the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit resuscitated it. 501 F. 3d 1327 (2007). Today we hold, once again, that the Tribe’s claim for compensation fails. This matter should now be regarded as closed. I. Legal Background The Federal Government cannot be sued without its consent. FDIC v. Meyer, 510 U. S. 471, 475 (1994). Limited consent has been granted through a variety of statutes, including one colloquially referred to as the Indian Tucker Act: “The United States Court of Federal Claims shall have jurisdiction of any claim against the United States accruing after August 13, 1946, in favor of any tribe ... whenever such claim is one arising under the Constitution, laws or treaties of the United States, or Executive orders of…
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