Supreme Court backs Biden administration in water dispute, impacting negotiations over Western waterways like Colorado River.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a state-authored settlement in the Rio Grande could bolster the federal government’s position in negotiations over other Western waterways, including the Colorado River. The court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Biden administration against a proposed settlement among the three Western states named in Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado over how to account for water use. The decision sends the case back to Judge Michael Melloy of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser indicated that the states plan to continue working together to resolve the dispute. The ruling could impact future interstate water cases and the ability to settle disputes between states.