List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 41

Last updated

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 41 (16 Pet.) of United States Reports , decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1842. [1]

Contents

Nominative reports

In 1874, the U.S. government created the United States Reports, and retroactively numbered older privately-published case reports as part of the new series. As a result, cases appearing in volumes 1–90 of U.S. Reports have dual citation forms; one for the volume number of U.S. Reports, and one for the volume number of the reports named for the relevant reporter of decisions (these are called "nominative reports").

Richard Peters, Jr.

Starting with the 26th volume of U.S. Reports, the Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States was Richard Peters, Jr. Peters was Reporter of Decisions from 1828 to 1843, covering volumes 26 through 41 of United States Reports which correspond to volumes 1 through 16 of his Peters's Reports. As such, the dual form of citation to, for example, Nixdorff v. Smith is 41 U.S. (16 Pet.) 132 (1842).

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of 41 U.S. (16 Pet.)

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). [2] 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 41 U.S. (16 Pet.) were decided the Court comprised these nine justices:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Roger B. Taney - Brady-Handy.jpg Roger B. Taney Chief Justice Maryland John Marshall March 15, 1836
(29–15)
March 28, 1836

October 12, 1864
(Died)
Daguerreotype of Joseph Story, 1844 (edit).jpg Joseph Story
Associate Justice Massachusetts William Cushing November 18, 1811
(Acclamation)
February 3, 1812

September 10, 1845
(Died)
SmithThompson.jpg Smith Thompson Associate Justice New York Henry Brockholst Livingston December 9, 1823
(Acclamation)
September 1, 1823

December 18, 1843
(Died)
Justice John McLean daguerreotype by Mathew Brady 1849.jpg John McLean Associate Justice Ohio Robert Trimble March 7, 1829
(Acclamation)
January 11, 1830

April 4, 1861
(Died)
Henry baldwin (justice).jpg Henry Baldwin Associate Justice Pennsylvania Bushrod Washington January 6, 1830
(41–2)
January 18, 1830

April 21, 1844
(Died)
JMWayne2.jpg James Moore Wayne Associate Justice Georgia William Johnson January 9, 1835
(Acclamation)
January 14, 1835

July 5, 1867
(Died)
John Catron - Brady-Handy.jpg John Catron Associate Justice Tennessee newly-created seatMarch 8, 1837
(28–15)
May 1, 1837

May 30, 1865
(Died)
John McKinley.jpg John McKinley Associate Justice Alabama newly-created seatSeptember 25, 1837
(Acclamation)
January 9, 1838

July 19, 1852
(Died)
Peter Vivian Daniel, US Supreme Court Justice, c1860.jpg Peter Vivian Daniel Associate Justice Virginia Philip P. Barbour March 2, 1841
(25–5)
January 10, 1842

May 31, 1860
(Died)

Notable Cases in 41 U.S. (16 Pet.)

Pennsylvania Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery (1780) GradualAbolition.jpg
Pennsylvania Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery (1780)

Swift v. Tyson

In Swift v. Tyson , 41 U.S. (16 Pet.) 1 (1842), the US Supreme Court determined that United States federal courts hearing diversity jurisdiction cases under the Judiciary Act of 1789 must apply statutory state laws when the state legislature in question had spoken on the relevant issue, but need not apply the a state's common law if the state's legislature had not spoken on the issue. The decision meant that the federal courts deciding matters not specifically addressed by a state legislature had the authority to develop a federal common law.

Prigg v. Pennsylvania

In Prigg v. Pennsylvania , 41 U.S. (16 Pet.) 539 (1842), the US Supreme Court held that the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 pre-empted a state law that made it a crime to take blacks out of the free state of Pennsylvania and into slavery elsewhere. Also, by refusing to take judicial notice of the problem of free blacks being kidnapped in free states and sold into slavery, Prigg implied that blacks were entitled to fewer procedural protections than were whites. [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.

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

List of cases in 41 U.S. (16 Pet.)

Case NamePage and yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinion(s)Dissenting opinion(s)Lower CourtDisposition
Swift v. Tyson 1 (1842) StoryCatronnone C.C.S.D.N.Y. certification
Watkins v. Holman's Lessee 25 (1842) McLeannonenone C.C.S.D. Ala. reversed
Beall v. Holman's Lessee 64 (1842) per curiam nonenone C.C.N.D. Ala. reversed
Long v. Palmer, Smith and Company 65 (1842) Thompsonnonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. affirmed
Cocke ex rel. Commercial Bank v. Halsey 71 (1842) Danielnonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. reversed
Keary v. Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Memphis 89 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. reversed
Gordon v. Longest 97 (1842) McLeannonenone Ky. reversed
Tompkins v. Wheeler 106 (1842) Thompsonnonenone C.C.D. Ky. affirmed
Brander v. Phillips and Company 121 (1842) McLeannonenone C.C.S.D. Ala. affirmed
Nixdorff v. Smith 132 (1842) McKinleynonenone C.C.D.C. reversed
Randolph v. Barrett 138 (1842) McKinleynonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. affirmed
United States v. Breward 143 (1842) CatronnonenoneFla. Super. Ct.certification
Fulton v. McAffee 149 (1842) Taneynonenone Miss. dismissed
United States v. Miranda 153 (1842) WaynenonenoneFla. Super. Ct.reversed
United States v. Low 162 (1842) CatronnonenoneFla. Super. Ct.affirmed
Hyde and Gleises v. Booraem and Company 169 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.E.D. La. reversed
Hobson v. McArthur's Heirs 182 (1842) Thompsonnonenone C.C.D. Ohio reversed
United States v. Hanson 196 (1842) CatronnonenoneFla. Super. Ct.reversed
United States v. Murphy 203 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. certification
Hozey v. Buchanan 215 (1842) McLeannonenone E.D. La. reversed
Milnor v. Metz 221 (1842) Catronnonenone C.C.D.C. affirmed
United States v. Clarke's Heirs 228 (1842) CatronnonenoneFla. Super. Ct.affirmed
City of Mobile v. Eslava 234 (1842) McLeanCatronnone Ala. affirmed
City of Mobile v. Hallett 261 (1842) McLeannoneCatron Ala. affirmed
Kelsey v. Hobby 269 (1842) Taneynonenone C.C.D.S.C. affirmed
Armstrong v. Athens County 281 (1842) Catronnonenone Ohio affirmed
United States v. Eliason 291 (1842) Danielnonenone C.C.D.C. reversed
Amis v. Smith 303 (1842) McKinleynonenone N.D. Miss. affirmed
Gibson v. Chew 315 (1842) Waynenonenone C.C.S.D. Miss. reversed
Bradstreet v. Potter 317 (1842) Waynenonenone C.C.N.D.N.Y. reversed
Roach v. Hulings 319 (1842) Danielnonenone C.C.D.C. affirmed
Fresh v. Gilson 327 (1842) Danielnonenone C.C.D.C. reversed
Prouty v. Ruggles 336 (1842) Taneynonenone C.C.D. Mass. affirmed
Wood v. United States 342 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.D. Md. affirmed
Martin v. Waddell's Lessee 367 (1842) TaneynoneThompson C.C.D.N.J. reversed
Dobbins v. Erie County 435 (1842) Waynenonenone Pa. reversed
Parish v. Ellis 451 (1842) TaneynonenoneCt. App. Terr. Fla. dismissed
Harpending v. Reformed Protestant Church of New York 455 (1842) Catronnonenone C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Carpenter v. Providence Washington Insurance Company 495 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.D.R.I. affirmed
Carver v. Hyde 513 (1842) Taneynonenone C.C.D. Mass. affirmed
Todd v. Daniel 521 (1842) Storynonenone C.C.D. Me. multiple
Mills v. Brown 525 (1842) Taneynonenone Ill. dismissed
Mauran v. Bullus 528 (1842) McLeannonenone C.C.D.R.I. affirmed
Prigg v. Pennsylvania 539 (1842) StoryTaney; Thompson; Wayne; DanielMcLean Pa. reversed

Notes and references

    1. Anne Ashmore, DATES OF SUPREME COURT DECISIONS AND ARGUMENTS, Library, Supreme Court of the United States, 26 December 2018.
    2. "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
    3. Don E. Fehrenbacher (1981), Slavery, Law, and Politics: The Dred Scott Case in Historical Perspective, ISBN   0-19-502883-X, pp. 22–23.

    See also

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminal law in the Taney Court</span> Aspect of U.S. judicial history (1836–1864)

    The Taney Court heard thirty criminal law cases, approximately one per year. Notable cases include Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842), United States v. Rogers (1846), Ableman v. Booth (1858), Ex parte Vallandigham (1861), and United States v. Jackalow (1862).