Deal claims victory for Georgia in court cases

Gov. Nathan Deal today claimed victory on behalf of the state of Georgia upon hearing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions on the tri-state water case and on Arizona’s immigration law.

“By denying a hearing of the decision of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the tri-state water case, the nation’s highest  court has affirmed that drinking water was always an authorized use of Lake Lanier,” Deal said. “We felt confident in the firm grounding of the Eleventh Circuit ruling. We can now move forward with this issue behind us, have the governors work together and come to a long-term agreement that will provide for the water needs of all three states.

“We’ll have to wait to see how the ruling on the Arizona immigration law will affect our state’s enforcement reforms because Georgia’s law is not identical to Arizona’s. That said, it appears the court has upheld the major thrust of our state’s statute: That states have the right to assist in enforcing federal immigration law.”