Water court draws crowd for outpouring of justice

Institution included on UNESCO cultural heritage list

VALENCIA, Spain - Eight men in black robes, sitting in a circle on chairs in the street outside a cathedral look on, stony-faced, as a bailiff calls the accused. They form the Water Court of Valencia, a millennial institution in Spain.

In just a few minutes and without any paperwork, this tribunal settles irrigation conflicts that erupt in the fertile plain that surrounds Valencia, Spain's third largest city, a Mediterranean region known for its orchards.