Squatter's rights seems related, but different. With squatters rights, there is a law that says if they squat long enough, they can gain legal rights to the pr

Squatter's rights seems related, but different. With squatters rights, there is a law that says if they squat long enough, they can gain legal rights to the property. Squatters are amending the law through action, the law that gives them eventual rights is already there. There is no law that says if the federal government fails to live up to their promise long enough, it's no longer a legally binding promise. The Court is saying that if Congress really wants to break the promise, Congress needs to express that with updated legislation.