Guided Forward

Last week our Keurig machine at home had stopped working and we had run out of coffee beans. It was a hard week for morning coffee. I had scraped up enough beans and grounds to get by. Shaunya was on work travel so I had only to fend for myself.

In Tempe this past weekend, I bought a bag of beans and this morning we had French press. The coffee tasted so good.

Today, we had a Title 2 Reform Subcommittee regular meeting. These meetings are chaired by Council Delegate George H. Tolth. During the 2026 Winter Council Session, the 25th Navajo Nation Council overrode Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren’s veto allowing virtual attendance of council delegates for standing committees, subcommittees, and the Naabik’íyáti’ Committee.

The point of all that is to emphasize that six delegates attended the Title 2 meeting virtually while Chair Tolth and Vice Chair Shawna Ann Claw attended in-person.

Before the subcommittee attended to old and new business, Chief Legislative Counsel Michelle Espino provided an update on the amendments made to Title 2 in CJA-07-26 and CJA-09-26 that President Nygren vetoed.

“Title 2 amendments that occurred from the floor, addressed the division director and attorney general appointment, placed limitations on individuals if they are not confirmed, and limitations on their ‘acting’ status,” Espino said. “Attorneys on behalf of President Nygren filed a motion to restrain the Council from enacting the amendments. After the amendments were voted on and resolution was certified, it went to OPVP. Before he signed it, they filed the motion. President vetoed the amendments and the judge then issued a restraining order.”

Espino added that there was an addition to the motion filed stating that the Council couldn’t overturn the veto, asking the judge to issue the TRO before council could override the veto.

“The judge and court didn’t give us the opportunity to respond,” she said.

The subcommittee accepted the update and moved forward on the agenda to address modifications to Standing Committee rules including the proposal of consent agendas, reading of legislation into record, presentation times, and tabling motions.