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.
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). 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:
Portrait Justice Office Home State Succeeded Date confirmed by the Senate(Vote) Tenure on Supreme Court Edward Douglass White Chief Justice Louisiana Melville Fuller (Acclamation) –May 19, 1921(Died) Joseph McKenna Associate Justice California Stephen Johnson Field (Acclamation) –January 5, 1925(Retired) Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Associate Justice Massachusetts Horace Gray (Acclamation) –January 12, 1932(Retired) William R. Day Associate Justice Ohio George Shiras Jr. (Acclamation) –November 13, 1922(Retired) Charles Evans Hughes Associate Justice New York David Josiah Brewer (Acclamation) –June 10, 1916(Resigned) Willis Van Devanter Associate Justice Wyoming Edward Douglass White (as Associate Justice) (Acclamation) –June 2, 1937(Retired) Joseph Rucker Lamar Associate Justice Georgia William Henry Moody (Acclamation) –January 2, 1916(Died) Mahlon Pitney Associate Justice New Jersey John Marshall Harlan (50–26) –December 31, 1922(Resigned) James Clark McReynolds Associate Justice Tennessee Horace Harmon Lurton (44–6) –January 31, 1941(Retired)
Notable case in 237 U.S. Frank v. Mangum
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."237 U.S. 309, 349 Four months later a crowd of upstanding citizens of Georgia murdered Frank by lynching after the governor commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment."Grim Tragedy in Woods". The New York Times, August 19, 1915. p. 1. Via Internet Archive.
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. "# Cir." = United States Court of Appeals e.g., "3d Cir." = United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit "D." = United States District Court for the District of . . . e.g.,"D. Mass." = United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts "E." = Eastern; "M." = Middle; "N." = Northern; "S." = Southern; "W." = Western e.g.,"M.D. Ala." = United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama "Ct. Cl." = United States Court of Claims The abbreviation of a state's name alone indicates the highest appellate court in that state's judiciary at the time. e.g.,"Pa." = Supreme Court of Pennsylvania e.g.,"Me." = Supreme Judicial Court of Maine
List of cases in volume 237 U.S.
Case Name Page & year Opinion of the Court Concurring opinion(s) Dissenting opinion(s) Lower Court Disposition United States v. Hvoslef1 (1915) Hughes none none S.D.N.Y. affirmed Thames et al. Ins. Co. v. United States19 (1915) Hughes none none S.D.N.Y. reversed United States v. Emery et al. Co.28 (1915) Holmes none none W.D. Mo. affirmed New Orleans T.P.P.A. v. Sewerage & W. Bd.33 (1915) Holmes none none La. dismissed Smoot v. United States38 (1915) Holmes none none Ct. Cl. affirmed Henkel v. United States43 (1915) Day none none 9th Cir. affirmed Sligh v. Kirkwood52 (1915) Day none none Fla. affirmed South Carolina ex rel. Phoenix et al. Co. v. McMaster63 (1915) Day none none S.C. affirmed United States v. Noble74 (1915) Hughes none none 8th Cir. reversed Robinson v. Baltimore & O.R.R. Co.84 (1915) Hughes none none D.C. Cir. affirmed Louisville & N.R.R. Co. v. Maxwell94 (1915) Hughes none none Tenn.reversed Guffey v. Smith I101 (1915) VanDevanter none none 7th Cir. reversed Guffey v. Smith II120 (1915) VanDevanter none none 7th Cir. reversed Pennsylvania R.R. Co. v. Puritan C.M. Co.121 (1915) Lamar none none Pa. affirmed Chapman v. Zobelein135 (1915) Lamar none none Cal. affirmed Eastern R.R. Co. v. Littlefield140 (1915) Lamar none none Tex. dismissed United States v. Sherman & Sons Co.146 (1915) Lamar none none 2d Cir. certification American S. Co. v. Shulz159 (1915) Lamar none none S.D.N.Y. affirmed Knapp v. Alexander et al. Co.162 (1915) Pitney none none Wis. Cir. Ct. reversed Reinman v. City of Little Rock171 (1915) Pitney none none Ark. affirmed Malloy v. South Carolina180 (1915) McReynolds none none S.C. affirmed Detroit T. Co. v. Pontiac S. Bank186 (1915) McReynolds none none 6th Cir. affirmed Riverside et al. Mills v. Menefee189 (1915) White none none N.C. reversed United States ex rel. Chott v. Ewing197 (1915) White none none D.C. Cir. dismissed Southern P.R.R. Co. v. United States202 (1915) White none none Ct. Cl. affirmed Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Hill208 (1915) White none none 5th Cir. affirmed Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Marcus215 (1915) White none none 5th Cir. affirmed Chicago et al. R.R. Co. v. Wisconsin R.R. Comm'n220 (1915) McKenna none none Wis. reversed Christie v. United States234 (1915) McKenna none none Ct. Cl. reversed Greenleaf J.L. Co. v. Garrison251 (1915) McKenna none none 4th Cir. affirmed New York ex rel. IRT v. Sohmer276 (1915) Holmes none none N.Y. Sup. Ct. affirmed McGowan v. Parish285 (1915) Pitney none none D.C. Cir. reversed Louisville & N.R.R. Co. v. Western Union T. Co.300 (1915) Holmes none none 5th Cir. dismissed Rounds v. Cloverport et al. Co.303 (1915) Hughes none none Ky. affirmed Frank v. Mangum309 (1915) Pitney none Holmes N.D. Ga. affirmed Stewart M. Co. v. Ontario M. Co.350 (1915) McKenna none none Idaho affirmed Doran v. Kennedy362 (1915) McKenna none none Minn. affirmed Minneapolis et al. R.R. Co. v. Popplar369 (1915) Hughes none none Minn. affirmed McDougal v. McKay372 (1915) McReynolds none none Okla. affirmed Pigeon v. Buck386 (1915) McReynolds none none Okla. affirmed Export et al. Co. v. Port et al. Co.388 (1915) McReynolds none none Phil. dismissed Booth v. Indiana391 (1915) McKenna none none Ind. affirmed Chicago & N.R.R. Co. v. Gray399 (1915) Holmes none none Wis. affirmed United States v. Erie R.R. Co.402 (1915) VanDevanter none none 3d Cir. reversed United States v. Chicago et al. R.R. Co.410 (1915) VanDevanter none none 8th Cir. reversed Coe v. Armour F. Works413 (1915) Pitney none none Fla. reversed Erie R.R. Co. v. Solomon427 (1915) White none none Ohio dismissed Pennsylvania R.R. Co. v. Keystone et al. Co.432 (1915) Holmes none none Pa. dismissed Ellis v. ICC434 (1915) Holmes none none N.D. Ill. reversed Cumberland G. Mfg. Co. v. De Witt & Co.447 (1915) Day none none Md. affirmed Parker v. McLain469 (1915) VanDevanter none none Kan. dismissed Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. I474 (1915) McReynolds none none original continued Healy v. Sea G.S. Co.479 (1915) Holmes none none E.D. La. reversed Booth K.L. Co. v. United States481 (1915) Holmes none none 9th Cir. affirmed Spokane et al. R.R. Co. v. Whitley487 (1915) Hughes none none Idaho affirmed Seaboard et al. R.R. Co. v. Tilghman499 (1915) VanDevanter none none N.C. reversed Collins v. Johnston502 (1915) Pitney none none N.D. Cal. affirmed Longpré v. Diaz512 (1915) White none none D.P.R. reversed Royal Arcanum v. Green531 (1915) White none none N.Y. Sup. Ct. reversed Daniels v. Wagner547 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Daniels v. Johnston568 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Daniels v. Merrithew570 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Daniels v. Bernhard572 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Daniels v. Craddock574 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed St. Anthony C. v. Pennsylvania R.R. Co.575 (1915) White none none 3d Cir. dismissed Toop v. Ulysses L. Co.580 (1915) White none none D. Neb. dismissed Brown & Schermerhorn583 (1915) White none none 2d Cir. reversed Waugh v. University of Miss.589 (1915) McKenna none none Miss. affirmed Charleston et al. R.R. Co. v. Varnville F. Co.597 (1915) Holmes none none S.C. reversed Lumber U'writers v. Rife605 (1915) Holmes none none 6th Cir. reversed Hood v. McGehee611 (1915) Holmes none none 5th Cir. affirmed Park v. Cameron616 (1915) Holmes none none W.D. Tex. affirmed G. & C. Merriam Co. v. Syndicate P. Co.618 (1915) Day none none 2d Cir. dismissed Ebeling v. Morgan625 (1915) Day none none D. Kan. affirmed Morgan v. Devine632 (1915) Day none none D. Kan. reversed Bothwell v. Bingham Cnty.642 (1915) VanDevanter none none Idaho affirmed St. Louis et al. R.R. Co. v. Craft648 (1915) VanDevanter none none Ark. affirmed Hartford L. Ins. Co. v. IBS662 (1915) Lamar none none Minn. Dist. Ct. reversed Sawyer v. Gray674 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. II678 (1915) per curiam none none original decree entered
Notes and references
External links Case reports in volume 237 from Library of Congress Case reports in volume 237 from Court Listener Case reports in volume 237 from the Caselaw Access Project of Harvard Law School Case reports in volume 237 from Google Scholar Case reports in volume 237 from Justia Case reports in volume 237 from Open Jurist Website of the United States Supreme Court United States Courts website about the Supreme Court National Archives, Records of the Supreme Court of the United States American Bar Association, How Does the Supreme Court Work? The Supreme Court Historical Society