Alabama v. Georgia

For the college football rivalry, see Alabama–Georgia football rivalry.

Alabama v. Georgia
Supreme Court of the United States
Original jurisdiction
Decided May 1, 1860
Full case nameState of Alabama v. State of Georgia
Citations64 U.S. 505 (more)
23 How. 505; 16 L. Ed. 556
Outcome
The true border between the states of Alabama and Georgia is the average water mark on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River
Court membership
Chief Justice
Roger B. Taney
Associate Justices
John McLean · James M. Wayne
John Catron · Peter V. Daniel
Samuel Nelson · Robert C. Grier
John A. Campbell · Nathan Clifford
Case opinion
MajorityWayne, joined by unanimous court

State of Alabama v. State of Georgia, 64 U.S. (23 How.) 505 (1860), is a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that the true border between the states of Alabama and Georgia was the average water mark on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River. In coming to its conclusion, the Court defined what constituted the bed and bank of a river.[1][2] The case has had international repercussions as well. The Supreme Court's definition was adopted by courts in the United Kingdom in the case Hindson v. Ashby (1896) 65 LJ Ch. 515, 2 Ch. 27.[2]

  1. ^ Wisdom, The Law of Rivers and Watercourses, 1962, p. 9.
  2. ^ a b Kalinoe, Water Law and Customary Water Rights in Papua New Guinea, 1999, p. 27-28.