United States v. State of California

• Decision Date: 27 October 1947
• Docket Number: No. 12,O,12
• Citation: United States v. State of California, 332 U.S. 804, 68 S.Ct. 20, 92 L.Ed. 382 (1947)
• Parties: UNITED STATES v. STATE OF CALIFORNIA. riginal
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

332 U.S. 804

68 S.Ct. 20

92 L.Ed. 382

UNITED STATES

v STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

No. 12, Original.

Supreme Court of the United States

October 27, 1947

PER CURIAM.

Since our opinion which was announced in this case June 23, 1947, 332 U.S. 19, 67 S.Ct. 1658, two stipulations have been filed in this Court, signed by the Attorney General and Secretary of the Interior of the United States on the one hand and by the Attorney General of the State of California on the other hand. In these stipulations the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Interior purport to renounce and disclaim for the United States Government paramount government power over certain particularly described submerged lands in the California coastal area. In such stipulations the United States Attorney General and Secretary of the Interior furthermore purport to bind the United States to agreements which purport to authorize state lessees of California coastal submerged lands to continue to occupy and exploit those lands, and which agreements also purport to authorize California under conditions set out to execute leases for other submerged coastal lands.

Robert E. Lee Jordan has filed a petition in this Court praying that he be permitted to file a motion as amicus curiae or in the alternative as an intervenor to have the foregoing stipulations and agreements set aside and declared null and void on the ground among others that the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Interior are without authority to bind the United States by agreements which it is alleged would if valid alienate and surrender the Government's paramount power over the submerged lands concerning which the stipulations are made.

It...