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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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List Of United States Supreme Court Cases, Volume 237

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 December 12, 1910
(Acclamation)
December 19, 1910

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 31, 1922
(Resigned)
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)

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." Four months later a crowd of upstanding citizens of Georgia murdered Frank by lynching after the governor commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.

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 Name Page & year Opinion of the Court Concurring opinion(s) Dissenting opinion(s) Lower Court Disposition
United States v. Hvoslef 1 (1915) Hughes none none S.D.N.Y. affirmed
Thames et al. Ins. Co. v. United States 19 (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 States 38 (1915) Holmes none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Henkel v. United States 43 (1915) Day none none 9th Cir. affirmed
Sligh v. Kirkwood 52 (1915) Day none none Fla. affirmed
South Carolina ex rel. Phoenix et al. Co. v. McMaster 63 (1915) Day none none S.C. affirmed
United States v. Noble 74 (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. Maxwell 94 (1915) Hughes none none Tenn. reversed
Guffey v. Smith I 101 (1915) VanDevanter none none 7th Cir. reversed
Guffey v. Smith II 120 (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. Zobelein 135 (1915) Lamar none none Cal. affirmed
Eastern R.R. Co. v. Littlefield 140 (1915) Lamar none none Tex. dismissed
United States v. Sherman & Sons Co. 146 (1915) Lamar none none 2d Cir. certification
American S. Co. v. Shulz 159 (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 Rock 171 (1915) Pitney none none Ark. affirmed
Malloy v. South Carolina 180 (1915) McReynolds none none S.C. affirmed
Detroit T. Co. v. Pontiac S. Bank 186 (1915) McReynolds none none 6th Cir. affirmed
Riverside et al. Mills v. Menefee 189 (1915) White none none N.C. reversed
United States ex rel. Chott v. Ewing 197 (1915) White none none D.C. Cir. dismissed
Southern P.R.R. Co. v. United States 202 (1915) White none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Hill 208 (1915) White none none 5th Cir. affirmed
Texas & P.R.R. Co. v. Marcus 215 (1915) White none none 5th Cir. affirmed
Chicago et al. R.R. Co. v. Wisconsin R.R. Comm'n 220 (1915) McKenna none none Wis. reversed
Christie v. United States 234 (1915) McKenna none none Ct. Cl. reversed
Greenleaf J.L. Co. v. Garrison 251 (1915) McKenna none none 4th Cir. affirmed
New York ex rel. IRT v. Sohmer 276 (1915) Holmes none none N.Y. Sup. Ct. affirmed
McGowan v. Parish 285 (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. Mangum 309 (1915) Pitney none Holmes N.D. Ga. affirmed
Stewart M. Co. v. Ontario M. Co. 350 (1915) McKenna none none Idaho affirmed
Doran v. Kennedy 362 (1915) McKenna none none Minn. affirmed
Minneapolis et al. R.R. Co. v. Popplar 369 (1915) Hughes none none Minn. affirmed
McDougal v. McKay 372 (1915) McReynolds none none Okla. affirmed
Pigeon v. Buck 386 (1915) McReynolds none none Okla. affirmed
Export et al. Co. v. Port et al. Co. 388 (1915) McReynolds none none Phil. dismissed
Booth v. Indiana 391 (1915) McKenna none none Ind. affirmed
Chicago & N.R.R. Co. v. Gray 399 (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. Works 413 (1915) Pitney none none Fla. reversed
Erie R.R. Co. v. Solomon 427 (1915) White none none Ohio dismissed
Pennsylvania R.R. Co. v. Keystone et al. Co. 432 (1915) Holmes none none Pa. dismissed
Ellis v. ICC 434 (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. McLain 469 (1915) VanDevanter none none Kan. dismissed
Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. I 474 (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 States 481 (1915) Holmes none none 9th Cir. affirmed
Spokane et al. R.R. Co. v. Whitley 487 (1915) Hughes none none Idaho affirmed
Seaboard et al. R.R. Co. v. Tilghman 499 (1915) VanDevanter none none N.C. reversed
Collins v. Johnston 502 (1915) Pitney none none N.D. Cal. affirmed
Longpré v. Diaz 512 (1915) White none none D.P.R. reversed
Royal Arcanum v. Green 531 (1915) White none none N.Y. Sup. Ct. reversed
Daniels v. Wagner 547 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Johnston 568 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Merrithew 570 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Bernhard 572 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed
Daniels v. Craddock 574 (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 & Schermerhorn 583 (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. Rife 605 (1915) Holmes none none 6th Cir. reversed
Hood v. McGehee 611 (1915) Holmes none none 5th Cir. affirmed
Park v. Cameron 616 (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. Morgan 625 (1915) Day none none D. Kan. affirmed
Morgan v. Devine 632 (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. Craft 648 (1915) VanDevanter none none Ark. affirmed
Hartford L. Ins. Co. v. IBS 662 (1915) Lamar none none Minn. Dist. Ct. reversed
Sawyer v. Gray 674 (1915) White none none 9th Cir. reversed
Georgia v. Tennessee C. Co. II 678 (1915) per curiam none none 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. p. 1. Via Internet Archive.