List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 307

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Supreme Court of the United States
Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg
List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 307
38°53′26″N77°00′16″W / 38.89056°N 77.00444°W / 38.89056; -77.00444
EstablishedMarch 4, 1789;235 years ago (1789-03-04)
Location Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°53′26″N77°00′16″W / 38.89056°N 77.00444°W / 38.89056; -77.00444
Composition methodPresidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Authorized by Constitution of the United States, Art. III, § 1
Judge term lengthlife tenure, subject to impeachment and removal
Number of positions9 (by statute)
Website supremecourt.gov

This is a list of cases reported in volume 307 of United States Reports , decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1939.

Contents

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 307 U.S.

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 307 were decided the Court comprised the following members:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Charles Evans Hughes cph.3b15401.jpg Charles Evans Hughes Chief Justice New York William Howard Taft February 13, 1930
(52–26)
February 24, 1930

June 30, 1941
(Retired)
Jamescmcreynolds.jpg James Clark McReynolds Associate Justice Tennessee Horace Harmon Lurton August 29, 1914
(44–6)
October 12, 1914

January 31, 1941
(Retired)
Pierce Butler.jpg Pierce Butler Associate Justice Minnesota William R. Day December 21, 1922
(61–8)
January 2, 1923

November 16, 1939
(Died)
Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone photograph circa 1927-1932.jpg Harlan F. Stone Associate Justice New York Joseph McKenna February 5, 1925
(71–6)
March 2, 1925

July 2, 1941
(Continued as chief justice)
Owen J. Roberts cph.3b11988.jpg Owen Roberts Associate Justice Pennsylvania Edward Terry Sanford May 20, 1930
(Acclamation)
June 2, 1930

July 31, 1945
(Resigned)
HugoLaFayetteBlack.jpg Hugo Black Associate Justice Alabama Willis Van Devanter August 17, 1937
(63–16)
August 19, 1937

September 17, 1971
(Retired)
Stanley Reed.jpg Stanley Forman Reed Associate Justice Kentucky George Sutherland January 25, 1938
(Acclamation)
January 31, 1938

February 25, 1957
(Retired)
Frankfurter-Felix-LOC.jpg Felix Frankfurter Associate Justice Massachusetts Benjamin Nathan Cardozo January 17, 1939
(Acclamation)
January 30, 1939

August 28, 1962
(Retired)
Justice William O Douglas.jpg William O. Douglas Associate Justice Connecticut Louis Brandeis April 4, 1939
(62–4)
April 17, 1939

November 12, 1975
(Retired)

Notable Cases in 307 U.S.

United States v. Miller

United States v. Miller , 307 U.S. 174 (1939), is a significant Supreme Court decision involving a Second Amendment to the United States Constitution challenge to the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). The case is often cited in the ongoing American gun politics debate, as both sides claim that it supports their position.

Lane v. Wilson

In Lane v. Wilson , 307 U.S. 268 (1939), the Supreme Court ruled that a 12-day, one-time voter registration window was discriminatory for black citizens and repugnant to the Fifteenth Amendment.

Perkins, Secretary of Labor v. Elg

Perkins, Secretary of Labor v. Elg , 307 U.S. 325 (1939), is a decision by the Supreme Court that a child born in the United States to naturalized parents is a natural-born citizen, and that the child's U.S. citizenship is not lost if the child is taken to and raised in the country of the parents' origin, provided that upon attaining the age of majority, the young person elects to retain U.S. citizenship "and to return to the United States to assume its duties."

Coleman v. Miller, Secretary of the Senate of Kansas

Coleman v. Miller, Secretary of the Senate of Kansas, 307 U.S. 433 (1939), is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court, which clarified that if the Congress of the United States—when proposing for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution, pursuant to Article V —chooses not to set a deadline by which the state legislatures of three-fourths of the states or, if prescribed by Congress state ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states, must act upon the proposed amendment, then the proposed amendment remains pending business before the state legislatures (or ratifying conventions). The case centered on the Child Labor Amendment, which was proposed for ratification by Congress in 1924. In light of the precedent established by this ruling, three proposed constitutional amendments, in addition to the Child Labor Amendment, are considered still to be pending before the state legislatures, since Congress did not specify a ratification deadline: the Congressional Apportionment Amendment since 1789; the Titles of Nobility Amendment since 1810; and the Corwin Amendment since 1861.

Federal court system

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.

List of cases in volume 307 U.S.

Case nameCitationOpinion of the CourtVoteConcurring opinion or statementDissenting opinion or statementProcedural jurisdictionResult
Chippewa Indians of Minnesota v. United States 307 U.S. 1 (1939) Roberts8-0[a]nonenone appeal from the United States Court of Claims (Ct. Cl.)affirmed
Electric Storage Battery Company v. Shimadzu 307 U.S. 5 (1939) Roberts8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.)reversed
Kessler v. Strecker 307 U.S. 22 (1939) Roberts6-2[a]noneMcReynolds (opinion; joined by Butler) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.)affirmed
Mulford v. Smith 307 U.S. 38 (1939) Roberts6-2[a]noneButler (opinion; with which McReynolds concurred) appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (M.D. Ga.)affirmed
United States Trust Company v. Helvering, Commissioner of Internal Revenue 307 U.S. 57 (1939) Black8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.)affirmed
McCrone v. United States 307 U.S. 61 (1939) Black8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.)affirmed
Gibbs, Attorney General of Florida v. Buck 307 U.S. 66 (1939) Reed6-1[a][b]noneBlack (opinion) appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (N.D. Fla.)affirmed
Buck v. Gallagher, State Treasurer of Washington 307 U.S. 95 (1939) Reed6-1[a][b]noneBlack (without opinion) appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (W.D. Wash.)reversed
Driscoll and Others, Constituting the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission v. Edison Light and Power Company 307 U.S. 104 (1939) Reed8-0[a]Frankfurter (opinion; with which Black concurred)none appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (E.D. Pa.)reversed
Rochester Telephone Corporation v. United States 307 U.S. 125 (1939) Frankfurter8-0[a]McReynolds (without opinion); Butler (opinion; with which McReynolds concurred)none appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of New York (W.D.N.Y.)affirmed
United States v. Maher, doing business as Interstate Busses 307 U.S. 148 (1939) Frankfurter8-0[a]nonenone appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon (D. Or.)reversed
Federal Power Commission v. Pacific Power and Light Company 307 U.S. 156 (1939) Frankfurter8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.)affirmed
Sprague v. Ticonic National Bank 307 U.S. 161 (1939) Frankfurter8-0[a]McReynolds and Butler (without opinions)none certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.)reversed
William Jameson and Company v. Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury 307 U.S. 171 (1939) per curiam 9-0nonenone appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C. )vacated
United States v. Miller 307 U.S. 174 (1939) McReynolds8-0[a]nonenone appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (W.D. Ark.)reversed
United States v. Morgan 307 U.S. 183 (1939) Stone5-3[c]noneButler (opinion; joined by McReynolds and Roberts) appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (W.D. Mo.)reversed
United States v. Marxen 307 U.S. 200 (1939) Reed7-0[a][d]nonenone certified question from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.) certified question answered
Rorick v. Everglades Drainage District 307 U.S. 208 (1939) Frankfurter8-0[a]nonenone appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (N.D. Fla.)vacated
United States v. Powers 307 U.S. 214 (1939) Douglas9-0nonenone appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (S.D. Tex.)reversed
United States v. One 1936 Model Ford V-8 Deluxe Coach 307 U.S. 219 (1939) McReynolds4-3[e][f]noneDouglas (opinion; joined by Black and Frankfurter) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.)affirmed
Electric Fittings Corporation v. Thomas and Betts Company 307 U.S. 241 (1939) Roberts9-0nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.)reversed
Maytag Company v. Hurley Machine Company 307 U.S. 243 (1939) Roberts9-0nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.)affirmed (two cases); reversed (one case)
Guaranty Trust Company v. Henwood 307 U.S. 247 (1939) Black5-4noneStone (opinion; with which Hughes, MccReynolds, and Butler concurred) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.)affirmed
Bethlehem Steel Company v. Zurich General Accident and Liability Insurance Company 307 U.S. 265 (1939) Black5-4noneHughes, McReynolds, Butler, and Stone (joint short statement) certiorari to the New York Supreme Court (N.Y. Sup. Ct.)reversed
Lane v. Wilson 307 U.S. 268 (1939) Frankfurter6-2[a]noneMcReynolds and Butler (without opinions) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (10th Cir.)reversed
O'Malley, Collector of Internal Revenue v. Woodrough 307 U.S. 277 (1939) Frankfurter7-1[g]noneButler (opinion) appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska (D. Neb.)reversed
Rorick v. Devon Syndicate, Ltd. 307 U.S. 299 (1939) Douglas9-0nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Cir.)reversed
Newark Fire Insurance Company v. State Board of Tax Appeals of New Jersey 307 U.S. 313 (1939) plurality opinions8-1Reed (opinion; with which Hughes, Butler, and Roberts concurred); Frankfurter (opinion; with which Stone, Black, and Douglas concurred)McReynolds (without opinion) appeal from the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals (N.J.)affirmed
Perkins, Secretary of Labor v. Elg 307 U.S. 325 (1939) Hughes8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Cir.)affirmed as modified
Toledo Pressed Steel Company v. Standard Parts, Inc. 307 U.S. 350 (1939) Butler8-0[a]nonenone certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Cir.)affirmed (two cases); reversed (one case)
Curry, State Tax Commissioner of Alabama v. McCanless, Commissioner of Finance and Taxation of Tennessee 307 U.S. 357 (1939) Stone5-4Reed (short statement)Butler (opinion; joined by Hughes, McReynolds, and Roberts) appeal from the Tennessee Supreme Court (Tenn.)reversed
Graves and Others, Commissioners Constituting the State Tax Commission of New York v. Elliott 307 U.S. 383 (1939) Stone5-4noneHughes (opinion; with which McReynolds, Butler, and Roberts concurred) certiorari to the New York Surrogate's Court of New York County (N.Y. Cnty. Sur. Ct.)reversed
Southern Pacific Company v. United States 307 U.S. 393 (1939) Reed5-3[a]noneButler (opinion; joined by McReynolds and Roberts) certiorari to the United States Court of Claims (Ct. Cl.)affirmed
Coleman v. Miller, Secretary of the Senate of Kansas 307 U.S. 433 (1939) Hughes7-2Black (opinion; joined by Roberts, Frankfurter, and Douglas); Frankfurter (opinion)Butler (opinion; joined by McReynolds) certiorari to the Kansas Supreme Court (Kan.)affirmed
Chandler, Governor of Kentucky v. Wise 307 U.S. 474 (1939) Hughes7-2Black and Douglas (joint short statement)McReynolds and Butler (joint short statement) certiorari to the Kentucky Court of Appeals (Ky.)dismissed
Baldwin v. Scott County Milling Company 307 U.S. 478 (1939) Butler9-0nonenone certiorari to the Missouri Supreme Court (Mo.)reversed
American Toll Bridge Company v. Railroad Commission of California 307 U.S. 486 (1939) Butler9-0Black, Frankfurter, and Douglas (without opinions)none appeal from the California Supreme Court (Cal.)affirmed
Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization 307 U.S. 496 (1939) plurality opinions5-2[a][b]Roberts (opinion; with which Black concurred); Stone (opinion; with which Reed concurred); Hughes (short statement)McReynolds (short statement); Butler (short statement) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.)affirmed as modified
United States v. Rock Royal Co-operative, Inc. 307 U.S. 533 (1939) Reed5-4Black and Douglas (joint short statement)McReynolds and Butler (joint opinion); Roberts (opinion; joined by Hughes, McReynolds, and Butler) appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (N.D.N.Y.)mixed outcomes
H.P. Hood and Sons, Inc. v. United States 307 U.S. 588 (1939) Reed6-3noneRoberts (opinion; joined by McReynolds and Butler) certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.)affirmed
[a] Douglas took no part in the case
[b] Frankfurter took no part in the case
[c] Reed took no part in the case
[d] Hughes took no part in the case
[e] Butler took no part in the case
[f] Stone took no part in the case
[g] McReynolds took no part in the case

Notes and references

    1. "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Retrieved April 7, 2021.