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JANUARY 10, 2000

The Supreme Court today will hear arguments on how far the Department of Interior can go in limiting public access to documents it considers private.

A group of water users in Oregon filed the lawsuit against the Department of Interior, seeking access to correspondence between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribes in Oregon and northern California. The Interior considers the documents, which address a water rights lawsuit against Oregon and other trust responsibilties, internal and not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Interior's position in 1999. A reversal of that ruling by the Supreme Court could have impacts on the trust relationship between tribes and the government.

Get the Case: Klamath Water v. USDOI (Ninth Circuit No. 97-36208. August 1999)

Related Stories:
Paper wants tribal papers (Tribal Law 12/18)
Trust relationship questioned by case (Tribal Law 11/30)