United States Supreme Court
NEW JERSEY v. NEW YORK, (1998)
No. 120
Decided On : May 26, 1998
JUSTICE SOUTER delivered the opinion of the Court.

An 1834 compact between the States of New York and New Jersey provided that Ellis Island, then a modest three acres, was part of New York despite its location on New Jerseys side of the States common boundary. After 1891, when the United States decided to use the Island to receive immigrants, the National Government began placing fill around its shoreline and over the next 42 years added some 24.5 acres to the area of the original Island. The issue in this case is whether New York or New Jersey has sovereign authority over this filled land. We find that New Jersey does.

I

In April 1993, New Jersey invoked this Courts original jurisdiction to try a dispute over its territorial jurisdiction, see U. S. Const., Art. III, §2, cl. 2, by seeking leave to file a bill of complaint against New York. We granted New Jerseys petition, 511 U.S. 1080 (1994), and appointed Paul Verkuil as Special Master, 513 U.S. 924 (1994). After denying the parties cross-motions for summary judg ment, he conducted a trial from July 10 to August 15, 1996

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