Pueblo Aboriginal Water Rights Affirmed
The Albuquerque Journal has published “Court ruling aids pueblo water rights” addressing an appeals court ruling affirming Pueblo water rights.
When Spanish conquistadors established settlements in what is now New Mexico, they likely had no idea their actions would be cited centuries later in legal arguments over water rights.
On Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in United States v. Abousleman, overturning a District Court ruling that Spain and Mexico had extinguished aboriginal water rights for the pueblos of Santa Ana, Zia and Jemez in the Jemez River Basin.
