MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s rare when the U.S. Supreme Court speaks with a unified voice on anything these days – what with the staunch conservative and liberal leanings of the nine justices. But one of those rare moments occurred on Monday when the high court ruled unanimously in favor of the city of Memphis in a water rights dispute with Mississippi.
The Justices declared that Mississippi does not have exclusive ownership of water located underground in what is known as the Middle Claiborne Aquifer. As a result, Memphis Light, Gas and Water has the right to pump water from the aquifer directly below the city – and Mississippi is not entitled to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
The ruling is a resounding defeat for Mississippi, which has been pressing the civil case for more than a decade. Mayor Jim Strickland called the court decision historic, which is not an overstatement. Had Mississippi prevailed, Memphis taxpayers would have been on the hook for those millions in damages. But the court correctly concluded that the expansive aquifer is an interstate resource, meaning no one state has exclusive rights to the water – which must be shared by all impacted states.
Mississippi had a shaky argument from the start and wasted plenty of time and money pursuing a weak case. Now it’s over, and Memphians can continue enjoying our pristine water without owing the Magnolia state one red cent.