Louisiana v. Mississippi et al. (466 U.S. 96)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided April 2, 1984 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 466 U.S. 96 · 104 S. Ct. 1645
- Decided
- April 2, 1984
- Term
- October Term 1983
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Blackmun
- Issue area
- Interstate Relations
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Unspecifiable
Opinion excerpt
Justice Blackmun delivered the opinion for the Court. This original action was filed by the State of Louisiana against the State of Mississippi and Avery B. Dille, Jr., to resolve a dispute as to the boundary between the two States in a reach of the Mississippi River above the Giles Bend Cutoff, upstream from the city of Natchez. The Report of the Special Master, however, stops short of ascertaining the entire boundary along this stretch, for the Master would have us resolve the case in Louisiana’s favor with the conclusion that throughout the period 1972-1982, the years relevant to this litigation, the actually contested point — the place in the riverbed of the “bottom hole” of a particular producing oil well — at all times was west of wherever that boundary line might have been and was within the State of Louisiana. Therefore, the Special Master observes, we need go no further in bringing this controversy to an end. Mississippi has filed exceptions to the Special Master’s Report, Louisiana has filed its response to those exceptions, the case has been argued orally, and the matter, thus, is before us for disposition. I In the area in question, the Mississippi River marks the boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana. See Act of Apr. 8, 1812, 2 Stat. 701, admitting Louisiana to the Union; Act of Mar. 1, 1817, 3 Stat. 348, and Joint Resolution of Dec. 10, 1817, 3 Stat. 472,…
Excerpt of a 22,565-character opinion. The full text and citation network load in the interactive viewer above.