Community Briefing - ONGD Proposed Constitution
1. Relevant Laws, Policies and Regulations
The 3 Opinions in Shirley v. Morgan (2010) ONGD/CNGD Plan of Operations (2020) Local Governance Act, 26 N.N.C. §1(E)(1998) BOESS-070-14 (2014) The 3 Opinions in Shirley v. Morgan (2010) Shirley v. Morgan collectively refers to THREE opinions the Navajo Nation Supreme Court (NNSC) issued between 2008-2010
2. Assessments of ONGD Proposal
2. Assessments of ONGD Proposal This page contains, for the purposes of public information and jurisdictional research mapping, assessments and mark-ups on the ONGD proposal for a new Constitution/Supreme Law of the Navajo Nation. Also included are ONGD’s official draft that was uploaded on March
3. Chapter and Agency Council Resolutions
The resolutions listed below represent the official public actions and positions of Navajo Nation Chapters and Agency Councils submitted to us for archive during the public comment periods concluding in the spring of 2026. The Diné Nihi Keyah Project hosts these resolutions strictly as a
4. Call to Chapters
This call to chapters by retired Chief Justice Herb Yazzie, former Navajo Nation Council Delegate Daniel Tso, traditional counselor Ray Deal, and Standing Rock Chapter and Eastern Agency Council President Johnny Johnson was originally distributed to chapters on Feb 5, 2026. Authored by retired judiciary
5. Duties of a Government Lawyer
In 2010, the Navajo Nation Supreme Court set forth duties of a lawyer working for the People.
This page serves as a public repository for the proposed ONGD Constitution. It includes the official draft, our organizational analysis (markups), and resolutions filed by Chapter governments. Our markups compare the proposed constitutional text against the existing Navajo Nation Code and Diné Fundamental Law. We believe that informed consent requires access to all perspectives. We archive these documents to ensure they are visible to the public, and we provide our critiques to highlight where this proposal deviates from the foundational values of the Diné people. It is intended to assist community members in understanding the proposed ballot measure and does not constitute legal advice.
The Office of Navajo Government Development (ONGD) intends to place a 113-page proposed constitution on the November 3, 2026, ballot as a single referendum question. Purporting to be written “by the collective will,” the document would bypass all legislative controls.
If enacted, this “Supreme Law” will not be able to be revised or amended for 20 years,. It would replace Title 1 (Diné Fundamental Law and the Navajo Nation Bill of Rights); Title 2 (The 1989 Amendments); Title 26 (Local Governance Act); substantially change Navajo Nation elections law; and strike down all non-conforming Navajo laws through an Office of Government Review (with no need for further legislative process). ONGD has administratively set several public input deadlines which have been extended a few times. The last deadline was May 29, 2026 with no sign of further extension.
For the text of ONGD’s proposed “constitution,” go to ONGD’s website.
