List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 109

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Supreme Court of the United States
Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg
EstablishedMarch 4, 1789;234 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 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 109 of United States Reports , decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1883 and 1884.

Contents

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 109 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 109 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Chief Justice Morrison Waite.jpg Morrison Waite Chief Justice Ohio Salmon P. Chase January 21, 1874
(63–0)
March 4, 1874

March 23, 1888
(Died)
Samuel Freeman Miller - Brady-Handy.jpg Samuel Freeman Miller Associate Justice Iowa Peter Vivian Daniel July 16, 1862
(Acclamation)
July 21, 1862

October 13, 1890
(Died)
Stephen Johnson Field, photo half length seated, 1875.jpg Stephen Johnson Field Associate Justice California newly-created seatMarch 10, 1863
(Acclamation)
May 10, 1863

December 1, 1897
(Retired)
Joseph Philo Bradley - Brady-Handy.jpg Joseph P. Bradley Associate Justice New Jersey newly-created seatMarch 21, 1870
(46–9)
March 23, 1870

January 22, 1892
(Died)
JudgeJMHarlan.jpg John Marshall Harlan Associate Justice Kentucky David Davis November 29, 1877
(Acclamation)
December 10, 1877

October 14, 1911
(Died)
William Burnham Woods.jpg William Burnham Woods Associate Justice Georgia William Strong December 21, 1880
(39–8)
January 5, 1881

May 14, 1887
(Died)
Thomas Stanley Matthews - Brady-Handy.jpg Stanley Matthews Associate Justice Ohio Noah Haynes Swayne May 12, 1881
(24–23)
May 17, 1881

March 22, 1889
(Died)
Horacegrayphoto.jpg Horace Gray Associate Justice Massachusetts Nathan Clifford December 20, 1881
(51–5)
January 9, 1882

September 15, 1902
(Died)
Samuel Blatchford, US Supreme Court Justice.png Samuel Blatchford Associate Justice New York Ward Hunt March 22, 1882
(Acclamation)
April 3, 1882

July 7, 1893
(Died)

Notable Cases in 109 U.S.

Civil Rights Cases

The Civil Rights Cases , 3 (1883), were a group of five cases in which the Supreme Court held that the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments did not empower Congress to outlaw racial discrimination by private individuals. The holding regarding the 13th Amendment was overturned by the Court in the 1968 case Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. The holding regarding the 14th Amendment not applying to private entities is still valid precedent, but in the 1964 case Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States , the Supreme Court held that Congress could prohibit racial discrimination by private actors via another part of the Constitution, the Commerce Clause.

The only dissenting justice in the Civil Rights Cases, John Marshall Harlan, correctly predicted the decision's negative long-term consequences: it put an end to the attempts by Radical Republicans to ensure the civil rights of blacks, and triggered widespread segregation in housing, employment, and public life that confined them to second-class citizenship throughout much of the United States until the passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement.

Chief Crow Dog CrowDog&Horse1898.jpg
Chief Crow Dog

Ex Parte Crow Dog

Ex parte Crow Dog , 556 (1883), was a Supreme Court decision that followed the death of one member of a Native American tribe at the hands of another on reservation land. Crow Dog was a member of the Brulé band of the Lakota Sioux. On August 5, 1881 he shot and killed Spotted Tail, a Lakota chief. The tribal council dealt with the incident according to Sioux tradition, and Crow Dog paid restitution to the dead man's family. However, the U.S. authorities then prosecuted Crow Dog for murder in a federal court. He was found guilty and sentenced to hang. He petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the federal court had no jurisdiction to try cases when the offense had already been tried by the tribal council. The Court found in his favor and Crow Dog was released. The case led to the Major Crimes Act in 1885, which placed some major crimes (initially seven, now 15) under federal jurisdiction if committed by a Native American against another Native American on a reservation or on tribal land.

Citation style

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.

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

List of cases in volume 109 U.S.

Case NamePage and yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinion(s)Dissenting opinion(s)Lower CourtDisposition
Osborne v. Adams County 1 (1883) Harlannonenone C.C.D. Neb. rehearing denied
Civil Rights Cases 3 (1883) BradleynoneHarlan C.C.D. Kan. certification
Poindexter v. Greenhow 63 (1883) Waitenonenone Va. Hustings Ct. advancement denied
United States v. Hamilton 63 (1883) Bradleynonenone C.C.M.D. Tenn. dismissed
United States v. Gale 65 (1883) Bradleynonenone C.C.N.D. Fla. certification
Steever v. Rickman 74 (1883) Waitenonenonenot indicatedconditional dismissal
Oliver, F. and Company v. Rumford Chemical Works 75 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.W.D. Tenn. reversed
Porter v. Lazear 84 (1883) Graynonenone Pa. affirmed
Laver v. Dennett 90 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.D. Cal. affirmed
King v. Gallun 99 (1883) Woodsnonenone C.C.E.D. Wis. affirmed
Hewitt v. Campbell 103 (1883) Harlannonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Green (sic) County v. Conness 104 (1883) Bradleynonenone C.C.W.D. Mo. affirmed
Haskins v. St. Louis and Southeastern Railway 106 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.M.D. Tenn. dismissed
City of Opelika v. Daniel 108 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.M.D. Ala. dismissed
The Tornado 110 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.D. La. affirmed
Double Pointed Tack Company v. Two Rivers Manufacturing Company 117 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.E.D. Wis. affirmed
Manhattan Life Insurance Company v. Broughton 121 (1883) Graynonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Newman v. Arthur 132 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Arthur v. Pastor 139 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed
United States v. Fisher 143 (1883) Woodsnonenone Ct. Cl. reversed
United States v. Mitchell 146 (1883) Woodsnonenone Ct. Cl. reversed
Hovey v. McDonald 150 (1883) Bradleynonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Louis v. Brown Township 162 (1883) Millernonenone C.C.N.D. Ohio affirmed
Indiana Southern Railroad Company v. Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Company 168 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.D. Ind. affirmed
Guion v. Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Company 173 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.D. Ind. dismissed
Ex parte Pennsylvania 174 (1883) Waitenonenone E.D. Pa. prohibition denied
Hunt v. Oliver 177 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.E.D. Mich. supersedeas granted
Evans v. Brown 180 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.E.D. Nev. affirmed
Winthrop Iron Company v. Meeker 180 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.W.D. Mich. dismissal denied
Retzer v. Wood 185 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. reversed
Snyder v. Marks 189 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.D. La. affirmed
Cragin v. Lovell 194 (1883) Graynonenone C.C.D. La. reversed
United States v. Gibbons 200 (1883) Matthewsnonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Booth v. Tiernan 205 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.N.D. Ill. affirmed
New Orleans National Banking Association v. Adams and Company 211 (1883) Woodsnonenone C.C.D. La. affirmed
Matthews v. Densmore 216 (1883) Millernonenone Mich. reversed
City of New Orleans v. Louisville and Nashville Railroad 221 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.E.D. La. affirmed
Knox County v. United States ex rel. Harshman 229 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.E.D. Mo. affirmed
Ex parte Mead 230 (1883) Waitenonenonenot indicated mandamus denied
Alabama Gold Life Insurance Company v. Nichols 232 (1883) Waitenonenone C.C.E.D. Tex. dismissed
Lamar v. McCay 235 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. reversed
Arnson v. Murphy 238 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. reversed
Louisville and Nashville Railroad v. Palmes 244 (1883) Matthewsnonenone Fla. affirmed
United States ex rel. Wilson v. Walker 258 (1883) Woodsnonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Meath v. Levee Commissioners of Mississippi 268 (1883) Woodsnonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. affirmed
Monongahela National Bank v. Jacobus 275 (1883) Harlannonenone C.C.W.D. Pa. affirmed
W. R. Grace and Company v. American Central Insurance Company 278 (1883) Harlannonenone C.C.E.D.N.Y. reversed
Louisiana ex rel. Folsom v. City of New Orleans 285 (1883) FieldBradleyHarlan La. affirmed
Walsh v. Preston 297 (1883) MillernoneHarlan C.C.W.D. Tex. reversed
Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad Company v. Des Moines Valley Railroad Company 329 (1883) Waitenonenone Iowa affirmed
Keyes v. United States 336 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Bernards Township v. Stebbins 341 (1883) Graynonenone C.C.D.N.J. reversed
Warner v. Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company 357 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.N.D. Ill. affirmed
Flash v. Conn 371 (1883) Woodsnonenone C.C.N.D. Fla. reversed
Terre Haute and Indiana Railway Company v. Struble 381 (1883) Harlannonenone C.C.E.D. Mo. affirmed
Miller v. City of New York 385 (1883) Fieldnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Memphis Gas Light Co v. Shelby County 398 (1883) Millernonenone Tenn. affirmed
Gilfillan v. Union Canal Company 401 (1883) Waitenonenone Pa. affirmed
J.A. Fay and Company v. Cordesman 408 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.S.D. Ohio affirmed
Feibelman v. Packard 421 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.D. La. affirmed
Smith v. McNeal 426 (1883) Woodsnonenone C.C.W.D. Tenn. reversed
Bailey v. United States 432 (1883) Harlannonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Jackson v. Roby 440 (1883) Fieldnonenone C.C.D. Colo. affirmed
Cunningham v. Macon and Brunswick Railroad Company 446 (1883) MillernoneHarlan C.C.S.D. Ga. affirmed
J. Leroux and Company v. Hudson 468 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.E.D. Mich. reversed
Schott v. Hudson 477 (1883) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.E.D. Mich. reversed
Randall v. Baltimore and O. Railroad Company 478 (1883) Graynonenone C.C.D.W. Va. affirmed
Ellis v. Davis 485 (1883) Matthewsnonenone C.C.D. La. affirmed
Townsend v. Little 504 (1883) Woodsnonenone Sup. Ct. Terr. Utah affirmed
United States v. Jones 513 (1883) Fieldnonenone Wis. affirmed
Thomas v. Brownville, Fort Kearney and Pacific Railroad Company 522 (1883) Millernonenone C.C.D. Neb. reversed
Canada Southern Railway Company v. Gebhard 527 (1883) WaitenoneHarlan C.C.S.D.N.Y. reversed
Sullivan v. Iron Silver Mining Company 550 (1883) Graynonenone C.C.D. Colo. reversed
Ex parte Crow Dog 556 (1883) MatthewsnonenoneD. Terr. Dakota habeas corpus granted
Young v. Duvall 573 (1883) Harlannonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Providence and New York Steamship Company v. Hill Manufacturing Company 578 (1883) BradleynoneField Mass. reversed
Robertson v. Pickrell 608 (1883) Fieldnonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Sweeney v. United States 618 (1884) Waitenonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Cherokee County v. Wilson 621 (1884) Waitenonenone C.C.D. Kan. affirmed
Salamanca Township v. Wilson 627 (1884) Waitenonenone C.C.D. Kan. affirmed
Ex parte Boyer 629 (1884) Blatchfordnonenone N.D. Ill. prohibition denied
Estey v. Burdett 633 (1884) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.D. Vt. reversed
Clements v. Odorless Excavating Apparatus Company 641 (1884) Blatchfordnonenone C.C.D. Md. reversed
Albright v. Emery 650 (1884) Blatchfordnonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Winchester and Partridge Manufacturing Company v. Funge 651 (1884) Blatchfordnonenone Sup. Ct. Terr. Utah reversed
Wyman v. Halstead 654 (1884) Graynonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. reversed
Bachman v. Lawson 659 (1884) GraynonenoneN.Y. Super. Ct.affirmed
Bendey v. Townsend 665 (1884) Graynonenone C.C.W.D. Mich. reversed
Smith v. Greenhow 669 (1884) Matthewsnonenone C.C.E.D. Va. reversed
Potomac Steamboat Company v. Upper Potomac Steamboat Company 672 (1884) MatthewsnoneMiller Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Chicago and Alton Railroad Company v. Union Rolling Mill Company 702 (1884) Woodsnonenone C.C.N.D. Ill. affirmed
Howard v. Carusi 725 (1884) Woodsnonenone Sup. Ct. D.C. affirmed
Sherman County v. Simons 735 (1884) Woodsnonenone C.C.D. Neb. affirmed

Notes and references

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