Bloomberg Law quotes John Draper today on the stakes for Florida and Georgia in their dispute over the Apalachicola River and its tributaries in Monday's oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court. Calling John "a leading water rights lawyer", Bloomberg Law quotes him as saying:
“It’s kind of a classic case between this small population and small economy depending on an environmentally sensitive industry, against a huge population and a huge economy by comparison up in Georgia ... There’s that kind of David and Goliath aspect to this.”
Florida is suing Georgia, its upstream neighbor, for an order that it allow more water down the Apalachicola, Flint and Chattahoochi rivers. Florida claims the additional flow to, among other things, support its aquaculture industry. Links to case documents can be found on Draper & Draper's U.S. Transboundary Water Map.
John Draper has represented States before the US Supreme Court in interstate water disputes continuously since 1990. He currently leads the firm's representation of New Mexico in a dispute over the Rio Grande with Texas. Chambers and Partners has accorded John its top ranking for water law for nearly two decades.