TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 4, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court opened the first day of its new term with oral arguments in a 15-year dispute between the states of Tennessee and Mississippi. According to Reuters, the “justices expressed skepticism about Mississippi's claim that Tennessee is effectively stealing its water from an underground aquifer that runs beneath both states.” The Commercial Appeal provides historical context for the case. With the justices back together in the courthouse for the first time since the pandemic, several remote protocols remained in effect. A live audio feed of the arguments was available, justices took turns politely asking questions, and Justice Clarence Thomas (who almost never spoke during oral arguments in the past but participated in teleconferences) “quickly asked the first question of the new term.”