Louisiana v. Mississippi

Background

The Court appoints Charles J. Meyers, a Denver lawyer, as Special Master in this case. The order gives him authority to fix deadlines and conditions for filing additional pleadings, to direct subsequent proceedings, to summon witnesses, to issue subpoenas (orders that require witnesses to appear or produce documents), and to collect and receive evidence. The Master may submit reports to the Court. The order states that his compensation, assistants’ pay, printing costs, and other proper expenses will be charged to the parties in proportions the Court will later set.

Reasoning

This is an administrative, procedural action: the Court vested one official with specific powers to organize fact-gathering and manage the next steps in the case. The order lists the tasks the Master may perform and makes clear the financial burden will fall on the parties in a manner the Court determines. It also provides a practical backstop: if the Special Master’s position becomes vacant while the Court is in recess, the Chief Justice may designate a replacement who will have the same authority as the original appointee.

Real world impact

In practice, the appointment streamlines how evidence and testimony are collected and how filings are scheduled. Parties in the case should expect to follow the Master’s schedules and evidence requests, respond to subpoenas, and potentially share the costs of the Master’s work. This order is a procedural step in the litigation, not a final decision on the case’s merits, and the Court may later revise or replace the arrangement.