State of Arizona vs. State of California Proceedings Concerning the Colorado River Usage Dispute (MS-00677)

The State of Arizona vs. State of California litigation was an ongoing legal battle occurring between 1931 and 2000 pertaining to land and water usage rights for several Southwest Native American nations and various states. It began in 1931 with Arizona v. California 283 U.S. 423, No. 19 Original, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled the Boulder Canyon Act of 1928 constitutional. The Boulder Canyon Act of 1928 provided for the protection and development of the Colorado River Basin. Other states became involved, including Nevada as an intervener and New Mexico and Utah serving as parties to the case. During the 1950s and 1960s, Arizona called for “equitable apportionment” of the waters of Colorado River, which became docket Nos. 9 and 10 Original. It was not until 1963, in the Arizona v. California 373 U.S. 546, No. 8 Original, that the Supreme Court made an initial ruling on the apportionment of the Colorado River waters. The cases that followed between 1964 and 2000 all pertain to apportionment concerns.

Sources:

“Arizona v. California.” The United States Department of Justice. Accessed December 18, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/enrd/arizona-v-california

“Reclamation and Arizona.” U.S. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation. Accessed December 18, 2018. https://www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/AZ100/1960/supreme_court_AZ_vs_CA.html