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<br />Monday. June 15. 1987 <br /> <br />2211 <br /> <br />Rocky I. ..mtain News <br /> <br />Connnenta <br /> <br />Water doesn't <br />flow smoothly <br />through court <br /> <br />FEDERAL Judges have had to live down an unpopu.l.ir <br />imajite in rffftIt y(,ill'S: that tbt'y'f"(' basICally lrus- <br />Inl<'dsclloolsuper1nU'ndfflt.1l. prison warden:s.poll<< <br />duels. or the bulb of whatever agl"llC1e5 lbey'ft lIol"lud <br />during lbe pasl H bours and p.l.in to run tbem3('lves. <br />So when a judge call~ out for <br />reliefrrornthiscuriOll5rol.._ <br />,,'h('lllleasluthathebe;ulow~ <br />sImply to act asajudg('-,tis <br />,,'ell wortbllotJni:_ <br />USDtstricIJudi:eJohn~ <br />re<:-t'nLlylS5Ue'dllJCbarequesl, <br />bunt'd in anollX"r controversial <br />oplnlUllooreserv<'d w,u('rrigbts <br />lor wildt'.rness. His wonl5 de- <br />5erverepeating: <br />"l1leIS5Ues in UIl5ca!ll'are <br />permeated witb conflicting <br />pIulosop/li,'alvie~a.ndl'CODOm. <br />ic llIteresl5 wbicb properly <br />should be resolved by the polili. - <br />ul branches of government, ., It is l>llIthe court's <br />bUSlltESS1.0 creale policy. Until enlig/llened bya more <br />preelseartiaJlalioo of I('gis.l.itive policy, il is my inlt'flt <br />toenfor\:'l' with VlgOC the mtenl of Congres5 ill I pern'lft <br />it lobe," <br />r\ow ther("s a f('lIo.. obvK.>l~'O\y willing to I" Congress <br />pluck a netUe from bis grasp, AIu. Con~ woo'l, or <br />tJln"t.orh..:wt't go!. around to it-110 Kane III Ieflwith <br />the dirty worlr. and tbt' ft'deral bencb finds itself under <br />ren.....E'dallackformOOdlinginpublicaflain... <br />Ev..n so,tlle ful"Ol' in thiscasoe is ""JII'Cially slrange, <br />sint.... it's hard to see 1I1l. Katw's rulillp dama(:e anyone <br />very much_ Thiltmaysoundlilr.ehcresy given the angry <br />Irut.nilloM05 that ","ve issued lrom various qu.art.en over <br />Ibt- past U months AI times you'd thinlr. West<!nl wa~ <br />law IISe1twereOllllX"cb<J.ppingblock. . <br />Rut look what bas happened ^ number of ~viron- <br />menlallst.1lsul'd V.s. officials. insi'ltlng that federal re- <br />!ler\"ed';lo'aterrlgbt.1leIistinwild@rnesllareas(lbesea... <br />...atl'rngbtsnolilctu.tllyfill'dfor.butdatillj[totbfoUD"M! <br />the wIldernes.s Will," as,de and nocessary for its sur. <br />vl\"al). <br />Judge Ka....llrst 19.rH'd with the pLa,"tiHs bark In <br />Nov('rnbt'r 1985, as a ",3IOMble jurisl might, and re- <br />pealed hi.~ position agiun thIS month. Alter all, reserved <br />waterrigbuhavebeenstipulatedforotherfederal1aods <br />and b.Kk<'d by decWons from bolb the U..s. and Colorado <br />supremecour1.S. <br />Morro"'er.IbeWildernessAC'ttatlg""g('c'ledb)'Ilp~ <br />nenL~ of I'eS<'rvE'd waler rigbt.1lll1.llY not mean .hat they <br />~y it does. The acl ~ms 10 be nec,lral ill regaN to <br />uistmgSLaleWalerla..' TTue.I"t":WT\'E'dwlltl!tligbts <br />anseJnde-pendentoftheapproprlationtloc1nlll!-.bicb <br />lm'anstbt-ydon'td.-per1duponpbysicilldivel"lioflfora <br />lrildltion.;Ul\"defined"bmeficialuse,~Yl!tonce~rvE'd <br />rigltlSbav("bo:>en defined and waleTSM.iIIidetopl'"l'Sl'r\'e <br />....ildl'l'flf'SS. W appropriabon doctnllt' rl':lUrnes in fOrff <br />SO....by 00 fedenl offICials resist adju,hatioo of tbeir <br />rewnoed rig/1ts~ Wby. partK1llarly. .ben tberl! don'l <br />_m 10 be 11lil1l}' conf11cu with priv"te righU I.h<it might <br />damage wildernt'$!l "n)....."y~ <br />As Kalll'notes. "tb<--govetl\mt'nland tbet'OOSt'rvatJon.. <br />ist.1l ,,'ould then kno" (i1fkr adjudication) just bow much <br />lI'''terisllt'ededlosuSUunlbewilderness;rem;ainirlg <br />wal('r would be p<Mn~lIy I,'aililble f~ otber boendicial <br />1ISeI." <br />AdmitLt'dly, tbo"re I!l.llY be more here than meNS this <br />b)'m.an's (or, for that matler, Judge Killll"s) eye. One <br />~bihly is that a grNt number oJ: non-federal rights <br />.111 be affected oace 1I'1!d('t'l)t'$I is fuUy !II't .asi& Ol:l <br />Bureau 01 r..nd Management property_ <br />E"l'Ilso,tbebi<.lOl}"ofthUc.asebas~odd.ltb.as <br />ber1l odd. for eumple, bow !be .akr esublisbmeot w <br />piC'tllf"('Cf tbe conflict as its penoo.tlGettysburg. <br />It bas bt'euequ.allyodd bow I'Ilvirolllt"ll'flLalist.1lCOl>Sis- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />tmU)' cbim total victory, ....hen their demallds wef"(' <br />parUydeniE'dln U85 i1nd again this monlb TheyaPE'd <br />Kane to order the altorney general to begm litigatioo. <br />aDdtbfojudgi'n'fused_ <br />And Jt bas beef! stunge I.h<it Congress cln'l see fil 1.0 <br />resolvetbe l.'lSlll'itseJr,especi.al1yif Kane did Indeed <br />miKoostrvelr.spurpo5l!_ <br />MOIIt curious of llU, perbap$. h.u hem Kalll'" own <br />qualms at being ill theC1.'(lter of a case lIlvoh'incqUd-- <br />tJons"wblCb properly sll1luldbe resolved by the political <br />~anches of g""fl"tlmenl- ~ Kane Is th(' judge, ~member, <br />whoincurTedtbeeverl.astingWl"atbofmallySUltehou.!ll' <br />\'OllI('T\Iiltives for ~ing ",form al Old Mu. His <'Til. <br />iClleversil'l('f'uve.as:<uTDl'dhe 1000esthe Iillll!light.tb.:lt <br />Ite.s Just anoLbe1' Judge wboenjop ups('uing tbeest.ab- <br />J.W-IonIer logralt hilpPl'SOlli<lbeli-t'fsoototbeLa-. <br />~ybetbeyfingen'dlhwr<:lllRguy. <br />\'iDffilt Carroll is assisr.anl edirorial page e(/iior. <br /> <br />