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This is a list of cases reported in volume 250 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1919.
| Supreme Court of the United States | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 38°53′26″N 77°00′16″W | |
| Established | March 4, 1789 |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′26″N 77°00′16″W |
| Composition method | Presidential nomination with Senate confirmation |
| Authorised by | Constitution of the United States, Art. III, § 1 |
| Judge term length | life tenure, subject to impeachment and removal |
| Number of positions | 9 (by statute) |
| Website | supremecourt |
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 250 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) |
 |
Willis Van Devanter | Associate Justice | Wyoming | Edward Douglass White (as Associate Justice) | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) |
January 3, 1911 – June 2, 1937 (Retired) |
 |
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) |
 |
Louis Brandeis | Associate Justice | Massachusetts | Joseph Rucker Lamar | June 1, 1916 (47–22) |
June 5, 1916 – February 13, 1939 (Retired) |
 |
John Hessin Clarke | Associate Justice | Ohio | Charles Evans Hughes | July 24, 1916 (Acclamation) |
October 9, 1916 – September 18, 1922 (Retired) |
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Abrams v. United States
In Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919), the Supreme Court upheld the 1918 Amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917, which made it a criminal offense to urge the curtailment of production of the materials necessary to wage World War I with intent to hinder the progress of the war. The defendants were convicted on the basis of two leaflets they printed and threw from windows of a building in New York City. The defendants were charged and convicted of inciting resistance to the war effort and urging curtailment of production of essential war material. They were sentenced to 10 and 20 years in prison. The Supreme Court ruled that the defendants' freedom of speech, protected by the First Amendment, was not violated.
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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
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| Case Name | Page and year | Opinion of the Court | Concurring opinion(s) | Dissenting opinion(s) | Lower Court | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth Harbor Land and Hotel Company v. United States | 1 (1919) | White | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| American Fire Insurance Company v. King Lumber and Manufacturing Company | 2 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | Fla. | affirmed |
| Caldwell v. United States | 14 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Tayabas Land Company v. Manila Railroad Company | 22 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | Phil. | affirmed |
| Schlitz Brewing Company v. Houston Ice and Brewing Company | 28 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | 5th Cir. | affirmed |
| Coleman v. United States | 30 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Sage v. United States | 33 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | Ct. Cl. | reversed |
| Arkansas v. Mississippi | 39 (1919) | Day | none | none | original | continued |
| Ball Engineering Company v. J.G. White and Company | 46 (1919) | Day | none | none | 2d Cir. | reversed |
| Kenny v. Miles | 58 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | Okla. | reversed |
| Parker v. Riley | 66 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | 8th Cir. | reversed |
| Rust Land and Lumber Company v. Jackson | 71 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Miss. | dismissed |
| Fillippon v. Albion Vein Slate Company | 76 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | 3d Cir. | reversed |
| New York Central Railroad Company v. Goldberg | 85 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | N.Y. | affirmed |
| Brothers v. United States | 88 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Mackay Telegraph and Cable Company v. City of Little Rock | 94 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Ark. | affirmed |
| Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad Company v. Smith | 101 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Md. | affirmed |
| United States v. Reynolds | 104 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | 8th Cir. | reversed |
| United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company v. Oklahoma | 111 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | Okla. | dismissed |
| Berkman v. United States | 114 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | dismissed |
| Carey v. South Dakota | 118 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | S.D. | affirmed |
| Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company v. United States | 123 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | 3d Cir. | affirmed |
| Kinzell v. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company | 130 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | Idaho | reversed |
| Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. North Dakota ex rel. Langer | 135 (1919) | White | none | none | N.D. | reversed |
| Public Service Company of Northern Illinois v. Corboy | 153 (1919) | White | none | none | D. Ind. | reversed |
| Dakota Central Telephone Company v. South Dakota ex rel. Payne | 163 (1919) | White | none | none | S.D. | reversed |
| Kansas v. Burleson | 188 (1919) | White | none | none | original | dismissed |
| Burleson v. Dempcy | 191 (1919) | White | none | none | N.D. Ill. | reversed |
| Macleod v. New England Telephone and Telegraph Company | 195 (1919) | White | none | none | Mass. | affirmed |
| United States v. Ferger I | 199 (1919) | White | none | none | S.D. Ohio | reversed |
| United States v. Ferger II | 207 (1919) | White | none | none | S.D. Ohio | reversed |
| Capital Trust Company v. Calhoun | 208 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | Ky. | reversed |
| Dana v. Dana | 220 (1919) | Day | none | none | Mass. | dismissed |
| Flanders v. Coleman | 223 (1919) | Day | none | none | S.D. Ga. | reversed |
| Brainerd, Shaler and Hall Quarry Company v. Brice | 229 (1919) | Day | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Parker v. Richard | 235 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | 8th Cir. | reversed |
| Denver, and Rio Grande Railroad Company v. City and County of Denver | 241 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | multiple | affirmed |
| The Lake Monroe | 246 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | D. Mass. | multiple |
| Lincoln Gas and Electric Light Company v. City of Lincoln | 256 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | D. Neb. | affirmed |
| The Scow 6-S | 269 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Blair v. United States | 273 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Rumely v. McCarthy | 283 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Washington Post Company v. Chaloner | 290 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | D.C. Cir. | reversed |
| Williams v. Vreeland | 295 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | 3d Cir. | affirmed |
| United States v. Colgate and Company | 300 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | E.D. Va. | affirmed |
| Camp v. Gress | 308 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | 4th Cir. | affirmed |
| Benedict v. City of New York | 321 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | 2d Cir. | affirmed |
| United States v. Babcock | 328 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | Ct. Cl. | reversed |
| Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway Company | 332 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | Wash. | affirmed |
| Minerals Separation, Ltd. v. Butte and Superior Mining Company | 336 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | 9th Cir. | multiple |
| Vitelli and Son v. United States | 355 (1919) | White | none | none | Ct. Cust. App. | reversed |
| Commercial Cable Company v. Burleson | 360 (1919) | White | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | reversed |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Western Union Telegraph Company | 363 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | multiple | affirmed |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Minds | 368 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | multiple | affirmed |
| DeGanay v. Lederer | 376 (1919) | Day | none | none | 3d Cir. | certification |
| T.H. Symington Company v. National Malleable Castings Company | 383 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | multiple | multiple |
| Northern Pacific Railroad Company v. McComas | 387 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | Or. | reversed |
| City of Pawhuska v. Pawhuska Oil Company | 394 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | Okla. | dismissed |
| Arizona Employers' Liability Cases | 400 (1919) | Pitney | Holmes | McKenna, McReynolds | multiple | affirmed |
| Hancock v. City of Muskogee | 454 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| American Manufacturing Company v. City of St. Louis | 459 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Mo. | affirmed |
| Erie Railroad Company v. Shuart | 465 (1919) | McReynolds | none | Clarke | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | reversed |
| Barrett v. Virginian Railway Company | 473 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | 4th Cir. | reversed |
| Texas and Pacific Railway Company v. Leatherwood | 478 (1919) | Brandeis | McReynolds | none | Tex. Civ. App. | reversed |
| Southern Pacific Company v. Bogert | 483 (1919) | Brandeis | none | McReynolds | 2d Cir. | decree modified |
| Odell v. F.C. Farnsworth Company | 501 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Bowerman v. Hamner | 504 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | 9th Cir. | affirmed |
| Central of Georgia Railway Company v. Wright | 519 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | Ga. | reversed |
| Maxwell v. Bugbee | 525 (1919) | Day | none | Holmes | N.J. | affirmed |
| Cartas v. United States | 545 (1919) | White | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| United States ex rel. Alaska Smokeless Coal Company v. Lane | 549 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | D.C. Cir. | affirmed |
| Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company v. United States | 556 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | 3d Cir. | certification |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Public Service Commission of Pennsylvania | 566 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | Pa. Super. Ct. | reversed |
| Pell v. McCabe | 573 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | 2d Cir. | dismissed |
| Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company v. Fink | 577 (1919) | Day | none | none | Ohio Dist. Ct. App. | reversed |
| Stilson v. United States | 583 (1919) | Day | none | none | E.D. Pa. | affirmed |
| Mullen v. Pickens | 590 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| New York Central Railroad Company v. Bianc | 596 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | N.Y. | affirmed |
| Bank of Oxford v. Love | 603 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | Miss. | affirmed |
| Groesbeck v. Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Company | 607 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | E.D. Mich. | affirmed |
| Abrams v. United States | 616 (1919) | Clarke | none | Holmes | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
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