Opinion ID: 106566
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the united states as a party.

Text: We go directly to the question of joinder of the United States as a party. We agree with the Court of Appeals on this issue and therefore do not consider the contention at length. It is sufficient to say that the provision of the McCarran amendment, 66 Stat. 560, 43 U. S. C. § 666, [5] relied upon by respondents and providing that the United States may be joined in suits for the adjudication of rights to the use of water of a river system or other source, is not applicable here. Rather than a case involving a general adjudication of all of the rights of various owners on a given stream, S. Rep. No. 755, 82d Cong., 1st Sess. 9 (1951), it is a private suit to determine water rights solely between the respondents and the United States and the local Reclamation Bureau officials. In addition to the fact that all of the claimants to water rights along the river are not made parties, no relief is either asked or granted as between claimants, nor are priorities sought to be established as to the appropriative and prescriptive rights asserted. But because of the presence of local Reclamation Bureau officials and the nature of the relief granted against them, the failure of the action against the United States does not end the matter. We must yet deal with the holding of the Court of Appeals that the suit against these officials is not one against the United States.