ELR Citation: ELR 20189
No(s). 87 (U.S. Mar 24, 1971)

The United States' reserved rights to water within a particular state's jurisdiction, like any rights to water within a state's jurisdiction that the United States may acquire under state law, are subject to binding decision in courts of the state. The consent-to-be-sued provision of the Reclamation Act does allow such a suit against the United States. The United States was properly joined in a state court proceeding to adjudicate all claims to water for the portion of a river system located within the forum state.

Counsel for Petitioner:
Walter Kiechel Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Erwin N. Griswold, Solicitor General
Shiro Kashiwa, Assistant Attorney General
Francis X. Beytagh Jr., Assistant to the Solicitor General

Edmund B. Clark
Charles N. Woodruff, Attorneys
Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 737-8200

Counsel for Respondents:
Kenneth Balcomb
Delaney & Balcomb
829 Grand Avenue
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
(303) 945-6546

Robert L. McCarty
McCarty & Noone
1225 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 223-6680

David J. Miller
Miller, Ruyle, Steinmark & Shade
1004 A 9th Ave.
P.O. Box 1424
Greeley, CO 80631
(303) 352-9467

Don H. Sherwood
Gary L. Greer
Dawson, Nagel, Sherman & Howard
1900 First National Bank Bldg.
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 266-3401

Raphael J. Moses
P.O. Box 34
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 443-8782

Attorneys General of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming filed briefs as amici curiae.

MR. JUSTICE HARLAN'S concurring statement follows the opinion in No. 812.