Arkansas v. Tennessee
Headline: Court fixes the exact Arkansas–Tennessee boundary in the Scanlan Chute area, approving a detailed surveyed line that determines the border for Crittenden County, Arkansas and Shelby County, Tennessee.
Holding: The Court ordered that the Boundary Commissioner’s surveyed line and report, with the parties’ consent, fix the state boundary between Crittenden County, Arkansas and Shelby County, Tennessee.
- Officially establishes the surveyed border between the two counties and states.
- Provides coordinates and station points for local maps and land records.
- Identifies the boundary relative to the Mississippi River channel and bench marks.
Summary
Background
This case involved the governments of Arkansas and Tennessee and a boundary dispute in an area known as Cow Island Bend or Scanlan Chute (also called Frog Chute, Ike Chute or Lake, and 96 Chute). On February 25, 1970 the Court entered a decree and appointed a Boundary Commissioner to survey the line. The Commissioner filed a "Report on Commission to Survey" that set out a General Location and a Specific Location for the line, and the parties approved and consented to that report.
Reasoning
The core question was whether the Court should fix the state line as described in the Commissioner’s survey and report. The Court ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the boundary be fixed according to the Commissioner’s work. The decree gives a detailed description: a rectangular general area by latitude and longitude, precise bearings and distances between numbered stations, references to Mississippi River features (including the present steamboat channel or thalweg), and permanent bench marks cited in the report.
Real world impact
The ruling provides an official, surveyed description of the state boundary for the involved area, including coordinates, station points, and a marked broken line shown on a 1965 aerial photograph (Appendix A-I). That official description will be used as the authoritative location of the border for local mapping, land and water references, and any future questions about where the state line runs.
Ask about this case
Ask questions about the entire case, including all opinions (majority, concurrences, dissents).
What was the Court's main decision and reasoning?
How did the dissenting opinions differ from the majority?
What are the practical implications of this ruling?