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List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 253

Coordinates: 38°53′26″N 77°00′16″W / 38.89056°N 77.00444°W / 38.89056; -77.00444
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Supreme Court of the United States
Map
38°53′26″N 77°00′16″W / 38.89056°N 77.00444°W / 38.89056; -77.00444
EstablishedMarch 4, 1789; 235 years ago (1789-03-04)
LocationWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′26″N 77°00′16″W / 38.89056°N 77.00444°W / 38.89056; -77.00444
Composition methodPresidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Authorised byConstitution of the United States, Art. III, § 1
Judge term lengthlife tenure, subject to impeachment and removal
Number of positions9 (by statute)
Websitesupremecourt.gov

This is a list of cases reported in volume 253 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1920.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 253 U.S.

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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 253 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)
After the 36th state adopted the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919, the U.S. Secretary of State had to issue a formal proclamation declaring its ratification.

Notable Case in 253 U.S.

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Hawke v. Smith

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Hawke v. Smith, 253 U.S. 221 (1920), was a challenge to the constitutionality of a state referendum to overturn the Ohio legislature's vote to adopt the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (the "Prohibition Amendment"). The Supreme Court held that while states may allow their legislatures' actions to be reversed through popular votes, that did not apply to the adoption of federal constitutional amendments since that power was granted to the legislatures by the United States Constitution, and the Constitution did not provide for any role to be played by the people in the consideration of amendments.

Citation style

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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.

List of cases in volume 253 U.S.

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Case Name Page and year Opinion of the Court Concurring opinion(s) Dissenting opinion(s) Lower Court Disposition
United States v. Atlanta Dredging Company 1 (1920) McKenna none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Maguire v. Trefry 12 (1920) Day none none Mass. Super. Ct. affirmed
Ward v. Love County 17 (1920) VanDevanter none none Oklahoma reversed
Broadwell v. Carter County 25 (1920) VanDevanter none none Okla. reversed
United States v. Reading Company 26 (1920) Clarke none White E.D. Pa. multiple
Wallace v. Hines 66 (1920) Holmes none none D.N.D. affirmed
Great Northern Railroad Company v. Cahill 71 (1920) White none none S.D. reversed
Erie Railroad Company v. Collins 77 (1920) McKenna none none 2d Cir. affirmed
Erie Railroad Company v. Szary 86 (1920) McKenna none none 2d Cir. affirmed
White v. Chin Fong 90 (1920) McKenna none none 9th Cir. affirmed
Leary v. United States 94 (1920) Holmes none none 4th Cir. affirmed
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company v. McCaull-Dinsmore Company 97 (1920) Holmes none none 8th Cir. affirmed
Western Union Telegraph Company v. Brown 101 (1920) Day none none 9th Cir. reversed
United States v. Alaska Steamship Co. 113 (1920) Day none none S.D.N.Y. reversed
Spiller v. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company 117 (1920) Pitney none none 8th Cir. reversed
Meccano, Ltd. v. John Wanamaker, New York 136 (1920) McReynolds none none 2d Cir. affirmed
O'Connell v. United States 142 (1920) McReynolds none none N.D. Cal. affirmed
Knickerbocker Ice Company v. Stewart 149 (1920) McReynolds none Holmes N.Y. Sup. Ct. reversed
Calhoun v. Massie 170 (1920) Brandeis none McReynolds Va. affirmed
Newman v. Moyers 182 (1920) Brandeis none none D.C. Cir. multiple
Bliss Company v. United States 187 (1920) Clarke none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Piedmont Power and Light Company v. Town of Graham 193 (1920) Clarke none none W.D.N.C. dismissed
United States v. MacMillan 195 (1920) White none none 7th Cir. affirmed
Fort Smith and Western Railroad Company v. Mills 206 (1920) Holmes none none W.D. Ark. reversed
United States ex rel. Johnson v. Payne 209 (1920) Holmes none none D.C. Cir. affirmed
Fidelity Title and Trust Company v. Dubois Electric Company 212 (1920) Holmes none none 3d Cir. reversed
LeCrone v. McAdoo 217 (1920) Holmes none none D.C. Cir. dismissed
City of New York v. Consolidated Gas Company of New York 219 (1920) Day none none 2d Cir. reversed
Hawke v. Smith I 221 (1920) Day none none Ohio reversed
Hawke v. Smith II 231 (1920) Day none none Ohio reversed
Green v. Frazier 233 (1920) Day none none N.D. affirmed
Scott v. Frazier 243 (1920) Day none none D.N.D. reversed
Evans v. Gore 245 (1920) VanDevanter none Holmes W.D. Ky. reversed
Weidhorn v. Levy 268 (1920) Pitney none none 1st Cir. reversed
United States v. Omaha Tribe 275 (1920) Pitney none none Ct. Cl. multiple
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company v. Hancock 284 (1920) McReynolds none none Pa. reversed
Ohio Valley Water Company v. Ben Avon Borough 287 (1920) McReynolds none Brandeis Pa. reversed
Ex parte Peterson 300 (1920) Brandeis none none S.D.N.Y. mandamus denied
Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Kittanning Iron and Steel Manufacturing Company 319 (1920) Brandeis none none Pa. reversed
Cream of Wheat Company v. Grand Forks County 325 (1920) Brandeis none none N.D. affirmed
United States v. North American Transportation and Trading Company 330 (1920) Brandeis none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Stallings v. Splain 339 (1920) Brandeis none none D.C. Cir. affirmed
Porto Rico (sic) Railway, Light and Power Company v. Mor 345 (1920) Brandeis none none 1st Cir. certification
National Prohibition Cases 350 (1920) VanDevanter White; McReynolds McKenna; Clarke multiple various
Royster Guano Company v. Virginia 412 (1920) Pitney none Brandeis Va. reversed
Federal Trade Commission v. Gratz 421 (1920) McReynolds none Brandeis 2d Cir. affirmed
Nadeau v. Union Pacific Railroad Company 442 (1920) McReynolds none none D. Kan. affirmed
Beidler v. United States 447 (1920) Clarke none none Ct. Cl. affirmed
Kwock Jan Fat v. White 454 (1920) Clarke none none 9th Cir. reversed

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Supreme Court Research Guide". Georgetown Law Library. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
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