Mississippi v. Arkansas

Background

This decree resolves a dispute between the State of Mississippi and the State of Arkansas over ownership and the exact state line in the area of Tarpley Cut-off. The document says Luna Bar formed by accretion to Carter Point and that exhibits in the record show maps and plats used to identify the features at issue. The exhibits referenced (including a plat by Austin B. Smith) are appended to the decree and describe points along the abandoned bed of the Mississippi River in the contested area.

Reasoning

The central question was which State controls Luna Bar and where the boundary runs between the two States in the stretch between the upstream and downstream ends of Tarpley Cut-off. The decree states that Luna Bar came into existence by accretion to Carter Point and ‘‘is, and was, a part of the State of Mississippi.’’ The decree then fixes the boundary line through the abandoned riverbed between the upstream and downstream ends of Tarpley Cut-off by listing a sequence of precise latitude and longitude points from Point P-36 to Point P-35 as shown on the identified plat.

Real world impact

The ruling identifies which State exercises control over Luna Bar and sets a definitive, coordinate-based boundary through the abandoned channel, using the appended exhibits as part of the decree. The decree also explains that litigation costs were paid from a fund made up of equal contributions by both States, and it directs that any additional costs beyond those contributions shall be borne by the State of Arkansas.