Navajo Nation, et al. v. San Juan County, NM et al.
AdobeStockThe UCLA Voting Rights Project, in partnership with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the ACLU of New Mexico, DLA Piper and the Navajo Nation Department of Justice filed a complaint against San Juan County, New Mexico and their Board of Commissioners over their newly adopted legislative map that effectively dilutes the vote of the Indigenous population within the county.
Indigenous persons in San Juan County, largely Navajo Nation citizens, constitute the largest racial or ethnic group in the County. Despite this, the new legislative map, adopted over the objections of the Navajo Nation among others, unlawfully distributes the population in such a way that Indigenous persons only have the opportunity to elect their candidate of choice in one of the five total districts in the County. The plaintiffs asked the court to block the 2021 redistricting plan.
On February 28, 2024, a settlement was reached with San Juan County in which a new map was adopted that allowed for more equitable representation for American Indian voters in the County. In March 2024, the settlement was accepted by a federal judge and the case was dismissed.
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