Judge weighs dismissal of ethics case against Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren

A Navajo Nation District Court judge is still deciding whether President Buu Nygren’s ethics case dies before trial or goes on to a public fight over allegations of misuse, favoritism and staff abuse of power.

The dispute moved to a new stage Monday after lawyers argued over Nygren’s bid to throw out the case before the court hears the facts. The judge did not rule from the bench, leaving the complaint in place for now and keeping pressure on a case that has already become a test of how Navajo Nation institutions handle accountability at the top.

Special Prosecutor Kyle T. Nayback filed the original complaint on Nov. 21, 2025, after what the Navajo Nation Council said was a three-month investigation. The filing was later expanded in a second amended complaint on Feb. 2, 2026. According to council and court descriptions, the allegations include misuse of government purchase cards, falsified documents, nepotism tied to the hiring of Nygren’s father-in-law, John Blackwater Jr., and staff being asked to carry out personal chores such as childcare, cooking, cleaning and paying bills.

The complaint sought serious penalties: removal from office, a five-year ban on public employment, forfeiture of up to one year of compensation and restitution for unauthorized spending. It also raised questions that reach far beyond one officeholder, especially in Window Rock, Fort Defiance, Chinle and the chapter communities that watch Navajo Nation government most closely.

Nygren’s legal team has argued the case should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, and the Navajo Nation Office of the President said on May 7 that the second amended complaint had already been dismissed because it was filed in the wrong forum. That same office said the first complaint had been dismissed in December 2025 for lack of jurisdiction. The court’s next move will determine whether the ethics allegations are shut down on procedural grounds or move toward a full hearing.

The case also lands in the middle of a crowded political season. Nygren was reported in early May to face 15 challengers in the 2026 Navajo Nation presidential race, while Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley introduced legislation in November seeking to remove Nygren and Vice President Richelle Montoya. That makes the court fight more than a legal dispute. It is a measure of whether Navajo Nation institutions can police their own leadership in a way that citizens see as fair, independent and credible.