United States of America v. State of Alaska (521 U.S. 1)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 19, 1997 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 521 U.S. 1 · 117 S. Ct. 1888
- Decided
- June 19, 1997
- Term
- October Term 1996
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority author
- Justice O'Connor
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice O’Connor delivered the opinion of the Court. This original action presents a dispute between the United States and the State of Alaska over the ownership of submerged lands along Alaska’s Arctic Coast. In 1979, with leave of the Court, 442 U. S. 937, the United States filed a bill of complaint setting out a dispute over the right to offer lands in the Beaufort Sea for mineral leasing. Alaska counterclaimed, seeking a decree quieting its title to coastal submerged lands within two federal reservations, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Range (now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). The Court appointed a Special Master. 444 U. S. 1065 (1980). Between 1980 and 1986, the Special Master oversaw extensive hearings and briefing. Before us now are the report of the Special Master and the exceptions of the parties. We overrule Alaska’s exceptions and sustain that of the United States. I Alaska and the United States dispute ownership of lands underlying tidal waters off Alaska’s North Slope. The region is rich in oil, and each sovereign seeks the right to grant leases for offshore exploration and to share in oil and gas revenues from the contested lands. Several general principles govern our analysis of the parties’ claims. Ownership of submerged lands — which carries with it the power to control navigation, fishing, and other public uses…
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