Oklahoma v. Texas
Headline: Confirmed survey fixes the Texas–Oklahoma boundary along the Red River’s Fort Augur area, making the surveyed line the official border and directing maps and reports to each state’s leaders, subject to natural erosion.
Holding: The Court confirmed the commissioners' report and established the surveyed line along the Red River's Fort Augur Area as the true Texas–Oklahoma boundary, subject to natural erosion and accretion, and ordered maps sent to each state.
- Sets the official Texas–Oklahoma boundary line for the Fort Augur area of the Red River.
- Directs the court clerk to send authenticated maps and the decree to each state's chief executive.
- Allows future boundary movement only from natural erosion or accretion as previously specified.
Summary
Background
A panel of commissioners surveyed and marked a part of the boundary between the States of Texas and Oklahoma along the south bank of the Red River, called the Fort Augur Area. The survey began June 13, 1923, and was completed October 10, 1924; the reported boundary position is that which existed on September 3, 1924. The commissioners prepared maps, field notes, and technical tabulations and filed copies with the court and with the Attorneys General of the United States, Texas, and Oklahoma. No objections to the report were presented within the allowed time.
Reasoning
The Court considered the commissioners’ report and the accompanying maps and field notes and decided to accept them. The Court adjudged, ordered, and decreed that the reported line and the maps be confirmed and declared to be the true boundary between Texas and Oklahoma for the portion of the Red River described in the report. The decree also specified that the boundary remains subject to changes caused by natural, gradual processes of erosion and accretion, as already described in the prior decree of March 12, 1923. The Court further ordered the clerk to transmit authenticated copies of the decree and maps to the chief executives of Texas and Oklahoma.
Real world impact
The ruling makes the surveyed line in the Fort Augur Area the official state border for practical and legal purposes. Copies of the maps and field notes are available from the Clerk’s Office and from the state executive offices for use by officials or private parties. Future shifts in the line are allowed only if caused by natural erosion or accretion, consistent with the earlier decree.
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