KENTUCKY v. INDIANA Et Al.

Background

The dispute involved the states of Indiana and Kentucky and a Special Master’s Report filed with the Court on November 4, 1985. The report included Joint Exhibits 1–50 and a geodetic description called Joint Exhibit 50. The Court’s decree incorporates that report and exhibits and directs where official copies must be filed with state and county record offices.

Reasoning

The core practical question was whether the boundary between the two states should be fixed according to the geodetic description in Joint Exhibit 50. The Court answered by adopting the Special Master’s recommendation: it fixed the boundary as described in Joint Exhibit 50, incorporated the Special Master’s Report and all exhibits into the record, required filing of those documents with specified state and county offices, confirmed that Indiana and Kentucky have concurrent jurisdiction over the Ohio River, and directed that the parties divide the costs as the Special Master recommended. The result gives a single, documented description of the boundary and settles the procedural steps for recording it.

Real world impact

State officials, county recorders, and the public in the listed Indiana and Kentucky counties will receive official copies of the decree and exhibits, making the new boundary description part of public land records. The decree also makes clear that both states share authority over the Ohio River in the area, and it allocates the costs of the proceeding between the two states. These steps aim to provide clarity for land descriptions, local governments, and river authority going forward.