Meandering Jurisdiction

Sometimes I troll the DCA opinion sites looking for interesting cases outside the land use area that bear on our issues. This case doesn't have anything at all to do with land use, but it's so wild and unexpected, I had to post it.

Turns out that the boundaries of the State, at least on the east coast, are defined by the easternmost edge of the Gulf Stream. Yep. Those of you with any marine background will probably know that the Stream, well, meanders, depending on the time of year, direction and strength of the wind, etc.

As a result, jurisdiction over a shipboard doctor in this wrongful death case depended on where exactly the ship was at the time and where exactly the Gulf Stream was on that day.

Strange but true.