Case library · Whose Waters?
Past the Three-Mile Line
Skiriotes v. Florida (1941)
Charge: Illegal sponge divingCourt: U.S. Supreme CourtState: FloridaDocket: Whose Waters?
Can a state punish one of its own citizens for conduct at sea beyond its territorial waters?
The facts
The Defendant was a sponge diver and a citizen of the coastal state whose law he was charged with breaking. Working from a boat about six miles offshore, he put on a diving suit and helmet and took commercial sponges off the sea floor. State law barred anyone from using diving gear to take sponges. He said the spot lay outside the state's waters, where its criminal law could not follow him.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Skiriotes v. Florida, 313 U.S. 69 (1941)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.