Nelson v. Initiative Committee to Reduce Navajo Nation Council

OPINION

This matter arises from an appeal of a December 15, 2009 initiative election in which a majority of Navajo voters approved a reduction of the size of the Navajo Nation Council from 88 to 24 delegates. This phase of the appeal concerns whether attorneys’ fees may be awarded out of $150,000 in public funds appropriated by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee to “Navajo Nation persons” for purposes of challenging the above election through the hire of independent counsel. Specifically, the assistance was spent in hiring John Trebon to represent Appellant Nelson in his filing of a…