The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday approved the first bill submitted by a lawyer overseeing the dispute over water between Georgia and Florida, awarding $47,635 for a little more than four months of time and expenses.
Ralph Lancaster Jr. of Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine, is serving as special master in the case initiated by Florida at the high court over water from the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. Because the unusual proceeding between two states essentially calls on the Supreme Court to act as a trial court—not the high court’s typical bailiwick—the justices have appointed Lancaster to manage discovery disputes, handle pretrial motions and preside over a trial-like proceeding to determine the facts.
