Supreme Court Hands Win to Georgia in State Water War (3)

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t force Georgia to curb its water usage, a defeat for downstream Florida in the two states’ long legal war over limited resources.

The justices issued their opinion Thursday, rejecting Florida’s plea for an order that would ensure more freshwater flows to the state’s wild oyster population along the Gulf Coast. Florida has hit repeated walls in its legal effort to protect the industry and the area’s broader ecosystem. Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored the opinion for the unanimous court.

The dispute centers on the Apalachicola-Chattahochee-Flint River basin, which straddles the southern states. ...