Court Opinion

ID: 9883563
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 01:49:31.29775+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:25.226874
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE SHEEHY,
specially concurring:
I concur in the acceptance of jurisdiction herein for all of the reasons expressed by Justice Weber.
In addition, I would hold now that under Colorado River Conservation District, supra, the Water Court of our state has jurisdiction irrespective of the provisions of our state constitution. I am also now of the opinion that our present Water Use Act is inadequate to adjudicate reserved Indian water rights, whether by treaty or aboriginal origination, for the reasons stated in the majority opinion. I also feel that the appropriation doctrine may be inadequate to adjudicate other federal reserved rights.
I am expressing my opinions early to flag the legislature that if it desires to have an effective adjudicatory process to determine finally water rights in Montana, it must take action in this legislative session of 1985 to make curative *162amendments to the Water Use Act. Failure to act in this session would, in my opinion, mean a loss of jurisdiction to the State Water Court for such period of time as the legislature took it upon itself to act. No more important project faces the legislature or this state.