This is a list of cases reported in volume 154 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1894; atypically, more than two hundred other Supreme Court opinions from earlier years (1852–1883) also appear within the volume.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 154 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).

The opinions in cases from 1852 to 1883 in volume 154 were written by various current and former justices. When the cases, from 1894, in the volume 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 Melville Fuller Chief Justice Illinois Morrison Waite (41–20) –July 4, 1910(Died) Stephen Johnson Field Associate Justice California newly created seat (Acclamation)–December 1, 1897(Retired) John Marshall Harlan Associate Justice Kentucky David Davis (Acclamation) –October 14, 1911(Died) Horace Gray Associate Justice Massachusetts Nathan Clifford (51–5) –September 15, 1902(Died) David Josiah Brewer Associate Justice Kansas Stanley Matthews (53–11) –March 28, 1910(Died) Henry Billings Brown Associate Justice Michigan Samuel Freeman Miller (Acclamation) –May 28, 1906(Retired) George Shiras Jr. Associate Justice Pennsylvania Joseph P. Bradley (Acclamation) –February 23, 1903(Retired) Howell Edmunds Jackson Associate Justice Tennessee Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (Acclamation) –August 8, 1895(Died) Edward Douglass White Associate Justice Louisiana Samuel Blatchford (Acclamation) –December 18, 1910(Continued as chief justice)

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.

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 "C.C.D." = United States Circuit Court for the District of . . . e.g.,"C.C.D.N.J." = United States Circuit Court for the District of New Jersey "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.,"C.C.S.D.N.Y." = United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York 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 154 U.S. decided in 1894

Case Name Page and year Opinion of the Court Concurring opinion(s) Dissenting opinion(s) Lower Court Disposition Primrose v. Western Union Telegraph Company1 (1894) Gray none none C.C.E.D. Pa. affirmed Scott v. McNeal34 (1894) Gray none none Wash. reversed Constable v. National Steamship Company51 (1894) Brown none Jackson C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed Dunham v. Dennison Manufacturing Company103 (1894) Gray none none C.C.S.D.N.Y. affirmed Morrison v. Watson111 (1894) Gray none none N.C. dismissed In re Lockwood116 (1894) Fuller none none Va. mandamus denied The Haytian Republic118 (1894) White none none 9th Cir. reversed Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. Patterson130 (1894) Fuller none none Mont. dismissed St. Clair v. United States134 (1894) Harlan none none C.C.N.D. Cal. affirmed Missouri Pacific Railroad Company v. McFadden155 (1894) White none none C.C.N.D. Tex. reversed Prentice v. Northern Pacific Railroad Company163 (1894) Harlan none none C.C.D. Minn. affirmed Balkam v. Woodstock Iron Company177 (1894) White none none C.C.N.D. Ala. affirmed Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. Babcock190 (1894) White none none C.C.D. Minn. affirmed Covington and Cincinnati Bridge Company v. Kentucky204 (1894) Brown none none Ky. reversed Covington and Cincinnati Elevated Railroad and Transfer and Bridge Company v. Kentucky224 (1894) Brown none none Ky. reversed United States v. Illinois Central Railroad Company225 (1894) Field none Brewer C.C.N.D. Ill. affirmed Riggles v. Erney244 (1894) Brown none Brewer Sup. Ct. D.C. reversed Moran v. Sturges256 (1894) Fuller none Brewer N.Y. Sup. Ct. reversed Barden v. Northern Pacific Railroad Company288 (1894) Field none Brewer C.C.D. Mont. reversed Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. Hambly349 (1894) Brown none none C.C.D.N.D. certification Reagan v. Farmers' Loan and Trust Company I362 (1894) Brewer none none C.C.W.D. Tex. multiple Reagan v. Mercantile Trust Company I413 (1894) Brewer none none C.C.W.D. Tex. multiple Reagan v. Mercantile Trust Company II418 (1894) Brewer none none C.C.W.D. Tex. multiple Reagan v. Farmers' Loan and Trust Company II420 (1894) Brewer none none C.C.W.D. Tex. multiple Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company v. Backus421 (1894) Brewer none Harlan Ind. affirmed Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company v. Backus439 (1894) Brewer none Harlan Ind. affirmed Interstate Commerce Commission v. Brimson447 (1894) Harlan none Brewer (at 155 U.S. 3) C.C.N.D. Ill. reversed

Appendix to 154 U.S. Volume 154 contains an extraordinary Appendix, starting at page 529, of "Some Cases not Hitherto Reported in Full". The previously unpublished opinions in the Appendix were issued from 1852 to 1883. An explanation for the Appendix is given at page 531:

List of cases in Appendix to volume 154 U.S., decided 1852–83