The Navajo Nation Council meets this week for a special session with a controversial topic up for discussion.

Delegate Raymond Joe wants to repeal the Dine Fundamental Law, the tribe's recognition of its traditional, unwritten laws. He says the Navajo courts are applying the Fundamental Law in unintended ways.

The most recent case involves two government reforms that President Joe Shirley Jr. is pushing. Even though the petitions for a ballot referendum didn't have enough signatures, a Navajo judge cited the Fundamental Law in approving them.

The referendums affect the council. One reduces the number of delegates from 88 to 24 and the other gives the president a line-item veto over council legislation.

Get the Story:
Controversy in Navajo Nation Council (AP 7/20)

Related Stories:
Navajo president pushes vote on ballot initiatives (7/8)
Navajo Nation to vote on reducing size of council (6/26)