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Opinion of Thomas, J.
given the number and variety of the other new or amended claims we have approved today, see ante, at 11-15—not to mention the issues left unresolved by our 1993 opinion, see Nebraska II, 507 U. S., at 596-603—the significant statutory and contractual issues raised by Wyoming's cross-claim against the United States would most likely be resolved in the District Court with far greater dispatch. Indeed, the present round of litigation has dragged on for almost nine years, but we are not even beyond the stage of considering amendments to the pleadings.
Finally, although I share the Court's distaste at the prospect of intervention by individual storage contract holders in this original action, see ante, at 21-22, I find it just as distasteful unnecessarily to deny private parties the opportunity to participate in a case the disposition of which may impair their interests. By remitting Wyoming's claim to the District Court, we would allow the storage contract holders to participate voluntarily by joinder or intervention, see Fed. Rules Civ. Proc. 20(a) and 24, or to be joined involuntarily in the interest of just adjudication, see Rule 19.
* * *
The Court's decision to entertain Wyoming's Fourth Cross-Claim against the United States departs from our established principles for exercising our original jurisdiction, ignores the relief requested by Wyoming, and needlessly opens the possibility to a reapportionment of the North Platte. In short, it constitutes "a misguided exercise of [our] discretion." Wyoming v. Oklahoma, 502 U. S. 437, 475 (1992) (Thomas, J., dissenting). Accordingly, I respectfully dissent from the Court's decision in this regard.
upon its allegation that the United States has failed to "adher[e] to beneficial use limitations in administering storage water contracts . . . and that this [failure] has caused or permitted significant injury to Wyoming interests." Ante, at 19.
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