WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has filed an emergency request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block two Navajo Nation Council resolutions (CJA-07-26 and CJA-09-26), arguing they unlawfully shift power from the Executive Branch to the Legislative Branch and violate the separation of powers established under Navajo law and the Title II Amendments.
Resolution CJA-07-26 would sharply limit the President’s authority and the ability of unconfirmed executive leaders to perform core duties, including managing programs and personnel, entering contracts, and traveling for official business without legislative approval. It also targets Department of Justice leadership and imposes new licensing requirements that could disqualify current appointees—placing unprecedented control over the Executive Branch in the hands of the Council.
Resolution CJA-09-26 removes the President’s authority to appoint members to the Navajo Board of Education, eliminating executive oversight of an agency established within the Executive Branch.
President Nygren argues the resolutions unlawfully alter the Nation’s governing structure without a vote of the People, violate Fundamental Law and Navajo Supreme Court precedent, and threaten immediate and irreparable harm to Navajo Nation governance by destabilizing leadership, weakening sovereignty, and disrupting essential services.
“This is not reform — it is control,” said President Nygren. “It is part of a troubling and escalating pattern of attempted power grabs by the Navajo Nation Council to consolidate power within itself and at the expense of the Navajo People’s government. These actions strip authority from the Executive Branch, erode checks and balances, and undermine the will of the People. Concentrating power in one branch runs directly against Fundamental Law, the Title II Amendments, and Navajo values of balance and shared governance.”
Any changes to the structure and powers established by Title II must be decided by the People — not imposed by a Council vote. Attempts to reduce the powers of the Presidency without a vote of the People amount to an effort to override the democratic mandate given by Navajo voters.
“All of this back-and-forth, these power struggles and political games, do nothing to put roofs over families, water in homes, or services into our communities. We were not elected to fight each other for control — we were elected to serve the Navajo people. When governance becomes about power instead of people, leadership loses its way. The Navajo Nation Council needs to return to its purpose: serving our people, not waging political battles.”
