List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 250 explained

Location:Washington, D.C.
Type:Presidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Authority:Constitution of the United States, Art. III, §1
Terms:life tenure, subject to impeachment and removal
Positions:9 (by statute)

This is a list of cases reported in volume 250 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1919.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 250 U.S.

See also: List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

See also: List of United States Supreme Court justices by time in office.

See also: List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by court composition.

The Supreme Court is established by Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which says: "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court . . .". The size of the Court is not specified; the Constitution leaves it to Congress to set the number of justices. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 Congress originally fixed the number of justices at six (one chief justice and five associate justices).[1] Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices (always including one chief justice).

When the cases in volume 250 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Edward Douglass WhiteChief JusticeLouisianaMelville Fuller
(Acclamation)


May 19, 1921
(Died)
Joseph McKennaAssociate JusticeCaliforniaStephen Johnson Field
(Acclamation)


January 5, 1925
(Retired)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.Associate JusticeMassachusettsHorace Gray
(Acclamation)


January 12, 1932
(Retired)
William R. DayAssociate JusticeOhioGeorge Shiras Jr.
(Acclamation)


November 13, 1922
(Retired)
Willis Van DevanterAssociate JusticeWyomingEdward Douglass White (as Associate Justice)
(Acclamation)


June 2, 1937
(Retired)
Mahlon PitneyAssociate JusticeNew JerseyJohn Marshall Harlan
(50–26)


December 31, 1922
(Resigned)
James Clark McReynoldsAssociate JusticeTennesseeHorace Harmon Lurton
(44–6)


January 31, 1941
(Retired)
Louis BrandeisAssociate JusticeMassachusettsJoseph Rucker Lamar
(47–22)


February 13, 1939
(Retired)
John Hessin ClarkeAssociate JusticeOhioCharles Evans Hughes
(Acclamation)


September 18, 1922
(Retired)

Notable Case in 250 U.S.

Abrams v. United States

In Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919), the Supreme Court upheld the 1918 Amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917, which made it a criminal offense to urge the curtailment of production of the materials necessary to wage World War I with intent to hinder the progress of the war. The defendants were convicted on the basis of two leaflets they printed and threw from windows of a building in New York City. The defendants were charged and convicted of inciting resistance to the war effort and urging curtailment of production of essential war material. They were sentenced to 10 and 20 years in prison. The Supreme Court ruled that the defendants' freedom of speech, protected by the First Amendment, was not violated.

Citation style

See also: United States district court.

See also: United States court of appeals.

See also: United States federal courts. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 the federal court structure at the time comprised District Courts, which had general trial jurisdiction; Circuit Courts, which had mixed trial and appellate (from the US District Courts) jurisdiction; and the United States Supreme Court, which had appellate jurisdiction over the federal District and Circuit courts—and for certain issues over state courts. The Supreme Court also had limited original jurisdiction (i.e., in which cases could be filed directly with the Supreme Court without first having been heard by a lower federal or state court). There were one or more federal District Courts and/or Circuit Courts in each state, territory, or other geographical region.

The Judiciary Act of 1891 created the United States Courts of Appeals and reassigned the jurisdiction of most routine appeals from the district and circuit courts to these appellate courts. The Act created nine new courts that were originally known as the "United States Circuit Courts of Appeals." The new courts had jurisdiction over most appeals of lower court decisions. The Supreme Court could review either legal issues that a court of appeals certified or decisions of court of appeals by writ of certiorari. On January 1, 1912, the effective date of the Judicial Code of 1911, the old Circuit Courts were abolished, with their remaining trial court jurisdiction transferred to the U.S. District Courts.

Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.

List of cases in volume 250 U.S.

See also: White Court.

Case NamePage and yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinion(s)Dissenting opinion(s)Lower CourtDisposition
Portsmouth Harbor Land and Hotel Company v. United States 1 (1919)WhitenonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
American Fire Insurance Company v. King Lumber and Manufacturing Company 2 (1919)McKennanonenoneFla.affirmed
Caldwell v. United States 14 (1919)McKennanonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
Tayabas Land Company v. Manila Railroad Company 22 (1919)McKennanonenonePhil.affirmed
Schlitz Brewing Company v. Houston Ice and Brewing Company 28 (1919)Holmesnonenone5th Cir.affirmed
Coleman v. United States 30 (1919)HolmesnonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
Sage v. United States 33 (1919)HolmesnonenoneCt. Cl.reversed
Arkansas v. Mississippi 39 (1919)Daynonenoneoriginalcontinued
Ball Engineering Company v. J.G. White and Company 46 (1919)Daynonenone2d Cir.reversed
Kenny v. Miles 58 (1919)VanDevanternonenoneOkla.reversed
Parker v. Riley 66 (1919)VanDevanternonenone8th Cir.reversed
Rust Land and Lumber Company v. Jackson 71 (1919)PitneynonenoneMiss.dismissed
Fillippon v. Albion Vein Slate Company 76 (1919)Pitneynonenone3d Cir.reversed
New York Central Railroad Company v. Goldberg 85 (1919)PitneynonenoneN.Y.affirmed
Brothers v. United States 88 (1919)PitneynonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
Mackay Telegraph and Cable Company v. City of Little Rock 94 (1919)PitneynonenoneArk.affirmed
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad Company v. Smith 101 (1919)PitneynonenoneMd.affirmed
United States v. Reynolds 104 (1919)Pitneynonenone8th Cir.reversed
United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company v. Oklahoma 111 (1919)McReynoldsnonenoneOkla.dismissed
Berkman v. United States 114 (1919)McReynoldsnonenoneS.D.N.Y.dismissed
Carey v. South Dakota 118 (1919)BrandeisnonenoneS.D.affirmed
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company v. United States 123 (1919)Clarkenonenone3d Cir.affirmed
Kinzell v. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company 130 (1919)ClarkenonenoneIdahoreversed
Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. North Dakota ex rel. Langer 135 (1919)WhitenonenoneN.D.reversed
Public Service Company of Northern Illinois v. Corboy 153 (1919)WhitenonenoneD. Ind.reversed
Dakota Central Telephone Company v. South Dakota ex rel. Payne 163 (1919)WhitenonenoneS.D.reversed
Kansas v. Burleson 188 (1919)Whitenonenoneoriginaldismissed
Burleson v. Dempcy 191 (1919)WhitenonenoneN.D. Ill.reversed
Macleod v. New England Telephone and Telegraph Company 195 (1919)WhitenonenoneMass.affirmed
United States v. Ferger I 199 (1919)WhitenonenoneS.D. Ohioreversed
United States v. Ferger II 207 (1919)WhitenonenoneS.D. Ohioreversed
Capital Trust Company v. Calhoun 208 (1919)McKennanonenoneKy.reversed
Dana v. Dana 220 (1919)DaynonenoneMass.dismissed
Flanders v. Coleman 223 (1919)DaynonenoneS.D. Ga.reversed
Brainerd, Shaler and Hall Quarry Company v. Brice 229 (1919)DaynonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Parker v. Richard 235 (1919)VanDevanternonenone8th Cir.reversed
Denver, and Rio Grande Railroad Company v. City and County of Denver 241 (1919)VanDevanternonenonemultipleaffirmed
The Lake Monroe 246 (1919)PitneynonenoneD. Mass.multiple
Lincoln Gas and Electric Light Company v. City of Lincoln 256 (1919)PitneynonenoneD. Neb.affirmed
The Scow 6-S 269 (1919)PitneynonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Blair v. United States 273 (1919)PitneynonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Rumely v. McCarthy 283 (1919)PitneynonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Washington Post Company v. Chaloner 290 (1919)McReynoldsnonenoneD.C. Cir.reversed
Williams v. Vreeland 295 (1919)McReynoldsnonenone3d Cir.affirmed
United States v. Colgate and Company 300 (1919)McReynoldsnonenoneE.D. Va.affirmed
Camp v. Gress 308 (1919)Brandeisnonenone4th Cir.affirmed
Benedict v. City of New York 321 (1919)Brandeisnonenone2d Cir.affirmed
United States v. Babcock 328 (1919)BrandeisnonenoneCt. Cl.reversed
Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway Company 332 (1919)ClarkenonenoneWash.affirmed
Minerals Separation, Ltd. v. Butte and Superior Mining Company 336 (1919)Clarkenonenone9th Cir.multiple
Vitelli and Son v. United States 355 (1919)WhitenonenoneCt. Cust. App.reversed
Commercial Cable Company v. Burleson 360 (1919)WhitenonenoneS.D.N.Y.reversed
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Western Union Telegraph Company 363 (1919)Holmesnonenonemultipleaffirmed
Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Minds 368 (1919)Holmesnonenonemultipleaffirmed
DeGanay v. Lederer 376 (1919)Daynonenone3d Cir.certification
T.H. Symington Company v. National Malleable Castings Company 383 (1919)VanDevanternonenonemultiplemultiple
Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. McComas 387 (1919)VanDevanternonenoneOr.reversed
City of Pawhuska v. Pawhuska Oil Company 394 (1919)VanDevanternonenoneOkla.dismissed
Arizona Employers' Liability Cases 400 (1919)PitneyHolmesMcKenna, McReynoldsmultipleaffirmed
Hancock v. City of Muskogee 454 (1919)PitneynonenoneOkla.affirmed
American Manufacturing Company v. City of St. Louis 459 (1919)PitneynonenoneMo.affirmed
Erie Railroad Company v. Shuart 465 (1919)McReynoldsnoneClarkeN.Y. Sup. Ct.reversed
Barrett v. Virginian Railway Company 473 (1919)McReynoldsnonenone4th Cir.reversed
Texas and Pacific Railway Company v. Leatherwood 478 (1919)BrandeisMcReynoldsnoneTex. Civ. App.reversed
Southern Pacific Company v. Bogert 483 (1919)BrandeisnoneMcReynolds2d Cir.decree modified
Odell v. F.C. Farnsworth Company 501 (1919)ClarkenonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Bowerman v. Hamner504 (1919)Clarkenonenone9th Cir.affirmed
Central of Georgia Railway Company v. Wright 519 (1919)HolmesnonenoneGa.reversed
Maxwell v. Bugbee 525 (1919)DaynoneHolmesN.J.affirmed
Cartas v. United States 545 (1919)WhitenonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
United States ex rel. Alaska Smokeless Coal Company v. Lane 549 (1919)McKennanonenoneD.C. Cir.affirmed
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company v. United States 556 (1919)McKennanonenone3d Cir.certification
Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Public Service Commission of Pennsylvania 566 (1919)HolmesnonenonePa. Super. Ct.reversed
Pell v. McCabe 573 (1919)Holmesnonenone2d Cir.dismissed
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company v. Fink 577 (1919)DaynonenoneOhio Dist. Ct. App.reversed
Stilson v. United States 583 (1919)DaynonenoneE.D. Pa.affirmed
Mullen v. Pickens 590 (1919)PitneynonenoneOkla.affirmed
New York Central Railroad Company v. Bianc596 (1919)PitneynonenoneN.Y.affirmed
Bank of Oxford v. Love 603 (1919)McReynoldsnonenoneMiss.affirmed
Groesbeck v. Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Company 607 (1919)BrandeisnonenoneE.D. Mich.affirmed
Abrams v. United States 616 (1919)ClarkenoneHolmesS.D.N.Y.affirmed

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Supreme Court Research Guide . 7 April 2021 . Georgetown Law Library.