List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 237

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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 237 of United States Reports , decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1915.

Contents

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 237 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 237 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Edward White, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left, 1905.jpg Edward Douglass White Chief Justice Louisiana Melville Fuller December 12, 1910
(Acclamation)
December 19, 1910

May 19, 1921
(Died)
Justice McKenna.jpg Joseph McKenna Associate Justice California Stephen Johnson Field January 21, 1898
(Acclamation)
January 26, 1898

January 5, 1925
(Retired)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr circa 1930-edit.jpg Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Associate Justice Massachusetts Horace Gray December 4, 1902
(Acclamation)
December 8, 1902

January 12, 1932
(Retired)
Justice William R. Day.jpg William R. Day Associate Justice Ohio George Shiras Jr. February 23, 1903
(Acclamation)
March 2, 1903

November 13, 1922
(Retired)
Charles Evans Hughes cph.3b15401.jpg Charles Evans Hughes Associate Justice New York David Josiah Brewer May 2, 1910
(Acclamation)
October 10, 1910

June 10, 1916
(Resigned)
Willis Van Devanter.jpg Willis Van Devanter Associate Justice Wyoming Edward Douglass White (as Associate Justice)December 15, 1910
(Acclamation)
January 3, 1911

June 2, 1937
(Retired)
Joseph Lamar.jpg Joseph Rucker Lamar Associate Justice Georgia William Henry Moody December 15, 1910
(Acclamation)
January 3, 1911

January 2, 1916
(Died)
Mahlon Pitney cph.3b30300.jpg Mahlon Pitney Associate Justice New Jersey John Marshall Harlan March 13, 1912
(50–26)
March 18, 1912

December 31, 1922
(Resigned)
Jamescmcreynolds.jpg James Clark McReynolds Associate Justice Tennessee Horace Harmon Lurton August 29, 1914
(44–6)
October 12, 1914

January 31, 1941
(Retired)

Notable case in 237 U.S.

Frank v. Mangum

Leo Frank (1884-1915) Leo Frank.jpg
Leo Frank (1884–1915)

Frank v. Mangum , 237 U.S. 309 (1915), was an appeal by Leo Frank, a young Jewish businessman, against his murder conviction in Georgia. In April 1915 the Supreme Court denied Frank's appeal by a 7–2 vote. Part of the decision was due to Frank's lawyers having failed timely to raise the argument that the threat of crowd violence during his trial had forced Frank to be absent from the verdict hearing, violating his right to due process. Justices Holmes and Hughes dissented, with Holmes writing, "It is our duty to declare lynch law as little valid when practiced by a regularly drawn jury as when administered by one elected by a mob intent on death." [2] Four months later a crowd of upstanding citizens of Georgia murdered Frank by lynching after the governor commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment. [3]

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.

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 237 U.S.

Case NamePage & yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinion(s)Dissenting opinion(s)Lower CourtDisposition
United States v. Hvoslef 1 (1915) Hughesnonenone S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Thames et al. Ins. Co. v. United States 19 (1915) Hughesnonenone S.D.N.Y. reversed
United States v. Emery et al. Co. 28 (1915) Holmesnonenone W.D. Mo. affirmed
New Orleans T.P.P.A. v. Sewerage & W. Bd. 33 (1915) Holmesnonenone La. dismissed
Smoot v. United States 38 (1915) Holmesnonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Henkel v. United States 43 (1915) Daynonenone 9th Cir. affirmed
Sligh v. Kirkwood 52 (1915) Daynonenone Fla. affirmed
South Carolina ex rel. Phoenix et al. Co. v. McMaster 63 (1915) Daynonenone S.C. affirmed
United States v. Noble 74 (1915) Hughesnonenone 8th Cir. reversed
Robinson v. Baltimore & O.R.R. Co. 84 (1915) Hughesnonenone D.C. Cir. affirmed
Louisville & N.R.R. Co. v. Maxwell 94 (1915) Hughesnonenone Tenn. reversed
Guffey v. Smith I 101 (1915) VanDevanternonenone 7th Cir. reversed
Guffey v. Smith II 120 (1915) VanDevanternonenone 7th Cir. reversed
Pennsylvania R.R. Co. v. Puritan C.M. Co. 121 (1915) Lamarnonenone Pa. affirmed
Chapman v. Zobelein 135 (1915) Lamarnonenone Cal. affirmed
Eastern R.R. Co. v. Littlefield 140 (1915) Lamarnonenone Tex. dismissed
United States v. Sherman & Sons Co. 146 (1915) Lamarnonenone 2d Cir. certification
American S. Co. v. Shulz 159 (1915) Lamarnonenone S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Knapp v. Alexander et al. Co. 162 (1915) Pitneynonenone Wis. Cir. Ct. reversed
Reinman v. City of Little Rock 171 (1915) Pitneynonenone Ark. affirmed
Malloy v. South Carolina 180 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone S.C. affirmed
Detroit T. Co. v. Pontiac S. Bank 186 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone 6th Cir. affirmed
Riverside et al. Mills v. Menefee 189 (1915) Whitenonenone N.C. reversed
United States ex rel. Chott v. Ewing 197 (1915) Whitenonenone D.C. Cir. dismissed
Southern P.R.R. Co. v. United States 202 (1915) Whitenonenone Ct. Cl. affirmed
Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Hill 208 (1915) Whitenonenone 5th Cir. affirmed
Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Marcus 215 (1915) Whitenonenone 5th Cir. affirmed
Chicago et al. R.R. Co. v. Wisconsin R.R. Comm'n 220 (1915) McKennanonenone Wis. reversed
Christie v. United States 234 (1915) McKennanonenone Ct. Cl. reversed
Greenleaf J.L. Co. v. Garrison 251 (1915) McKennanonenone 4th Cir. affirmed
New York ex rel. IRT v. Sohmer 276 (1915) Holmesnonenone N.Y. Sup. Ct. affirmed
McGowan v. Parish 285 (1915) Pitneynonenone D.C. Cir. reversed
Louisville & N.R.R. Co. v. Western Union T. Co. 300 (1915) Holmesnonenone 5th Cir. dismissed
Rounds v. Cloverport et al. Co. 303 (1915) Hughesnonenone Ky. affirmed
Frank v. Mangum 309 (1915) PitneynoneHolmes N.D. Ga. affirmed
Stewart M. Co. v. Ontario M. Co. 350 (1915) McKennanonenone Idaho affirmed
Doran v. Kennedy 362 (1915) McKennanonenone Minn. affirmed
Minneapolis et al. R.R. Co. v. Popplar 369 (1915) Hughesnonenone Minn. affirmed
McDougal v. McKay 372 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone Okla. affirmed
Pigeon v. Buck 386 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone Okla. affirmed
Export et al. Co. v. Port et al. Co. 388 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone Phil. dismissed
Booth v. Indiana 391 (1915) McKennanonenone Ind. affirmed
Chicago & N.R.R. Co. v. Gray 399 (1915) Holmesnonenone Wis. affirmed
United States v. Erie R.R. Co. 402 (1915) VanDevanternonenone 3d Cir. reversed
United States v. Chicago et al. R.R. Co. 410 (1915) VanDevanternonenone 8th Cir. reversed
Coe v. Armour F. Works 413 (1915) Pitneynonenone Fla. reversed
Erie R.R. Co. v. Solomon 427 (1915) Whitenonenone Ohio dismissed
Pennsylvania R.R. Co. v. Keystone et al. Co. 432 (1915) Holmesnonenone Pa. dismissed
Ellis v. ICC 434 (1915) Holmesnonenone N.D. Ill. reversed
Cumberland G. Mfg. Co. v. De Witt & Co. 447 (1915) Daynonenone Md. affirmed
Parker v. McLain 469 (1915) VanDevanternonenone Kan. dismissed
Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. I 474 (1915) McReynoldsnonenone original continued
Healy v. Sea G.S. Co. 479 (1915) Holmesnonenone E.D. La. reversed
Booth K.L. Co. v. United States 481 (1915) Holmesnonenone 9th Cir. affirmed
Spokane et al. R.R. Co. v. Whitley 487 (1915) Hughesnonenone Idaho affirmed
Seaboard et al. R.R. Co. v. Tilghman 499 (1915) VanDevanternonenone N.C. reversed
Collins v. Johnston 502 (1915) Pitneynonenone N.D. Cal. affirmed
Longpré v. Diaz 512 (1915) Whitenonenone D.P.R. reversed
Royal Arcanum v. Green 531 (1915) Whitenonenone N.Y. Sup. Ct. reversed
Daniels v. Wagner 547 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Johnston 568 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Merrithew 570 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Bernhard 572 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Craddock 574 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
St. Anthony C. v. Pennsylvania R.R. Co. 575 (1915) Whitenonenone 3d Cir. dismissed
Toop v. Ulysses L. Co. 580 (1915) Whitenonenone D. Neb. dismissed
Brown & Schermerhorn 583 (1915) Whitenonenone 2d Cir. reversed
Waugh v. University of Miss. 589 (1915) McKennanonenone Miss. affirmed
Charleston et al. R.R. Co. v. Varnville F. Co. 597 (1915) Holmesnonenone S.C. reversed
Lumber U'writers v. Rife 605 (1915) Holmesnonenone 6th Cir. reversed
Hood v. McGehee 611 (1915) Holmesnonenone 5th Cir. affirmed
Park v. Cameron 616 (1915) Holmesnonenone W.D. Tex. affirmed
G. & C. Merriam Co. v. Syndicate P. Co. 618 (1915) Daynonenone 2d Cir. dismissed
Ebeling v. Morgan 625 (1915) Daynonenone D. Kan. affirmed
Morgan v. Devine 632 (1915) Daynonenone D. Kan. reversed
Bothwell v. Bingham Cnty. 642 (1915) VanDevanternonenone Idaho affirmed
St. Louis et al. R.R. Co. v. Craft 648 (1915) VanDevanternonenone Ark. affirmed
Hartford L. Ins. Co. v. IBS 662 (1915) Lamarnonenone Minn. Dist. Ct. reversed
Sawyer v. Gray 674 (1915) Whitenonenone 9th Cir. reversed
Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. II 678 (1915) per curiam nonenone original decree entered

Notes and references

    1. "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
    2. 237 U.S. 309, 349
    3. "Grim Tragedy in Woods". The New York Times, August 19, 1915.