The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado improperly excluded the federal government from an agreement that resolved a Rio Grande water sharing dispute, rejecting the states’ argument that the conflict was theirs alone to settle.
In a 5-4 decision, the justices sided with the federal government, which argued that the states’ 2022 consent decree impacted its interests in providing water to Mexico and two local districts in New Mexico and Texas. Because the government was not a party to the final resolution, its interests were not adequately represented, and the consent decree must be renegotiated, the majority said.
Texas-NM Water Deal : Federal Interests Ignored
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing for the majority, explained that the proposed consent decree violates the high court’s ruling in 1986’s Firefighters v. Cleveland, which held that parties resolving litigation through settlement cannot dismiss a third party’s claims. This decision impacts the Texas-NM water deal, emphasizing the importance of including the federal government in such agreements.
