List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Waite Court
Encyclopedia
This is a chronological list of cases decided by the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
during the tenure of Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Morrison Waite
Morrison Waite
Morrison Remick Waite, nicknamed "Mott" was the seventh Chief Justice of the United States from 1874 to 1888.-Early life and education:...
(March 4, 1874 through March 23, 1888).
| Case name | Citation | Summary |- |
Beginning of active duty of Chief Justice Morrison Remick Waite, March 4, 1874 |
|---|---|---|
| Totten v. United States Totten v. United States Totten v. United States, 92 U.S. 105 , was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court ruled on judicial jurisdiction in espionage cases... |
jurisdiction over espionage agreements | |
| United States v. Cruikshank United States v. Cruikshank United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 was an important United States Supreme Court decision in United States constitutional law, one of the earliest to deal with the application of the Bill of Rights to state governments following the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.-Background:On Easter... |
application of the First First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering... and Second Second Amendment to the United States Constitution The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second... Amendments to the states |
|
| Munn v. Illinois Munn v. Illinois Munn v. Illinois, 94 U.S. 113 , was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with corporate rates and agriculture. The Munn case allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders, including railroads, and is commonly regarded as a milestone in the growth of federal government... |
corporations and agricultural regulation | |
| Pennoyer v. Neff Pennoyer v. Neff Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U.S. 714 , was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held that a court can exert personal jurisdiction over a party if that party is served with process while physically present within the state.-Factual and procedural background:Marcus Neff... |
bases of personal jurisdiction over defendants | |
| City of Elizabeth v. American Nicholson Pavement Co. City of Elizabeth v. American Nicholson Pavement Co. City of Elizabeth v. American Nicholson Pavement Co., 97 U.S. 126 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that while the public use of an invention more than one year prior to the inventor's application for a patent normally causes the inventor to lose his right to a... |
experimental use exception to the on-sale bar On-sale bar The on-sale bar of 35 U.S.C. 102 is a United States patent law term that means if an invention has been for sale for over one year, it is no longer patentable.-35 U.S.C... in United States patent law United States patent law United States patent law was established "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;" as provided by the United States Constitution. Congress implemented these... |
|
| Reynolds v. United States Reynolds v. United States Reynolds v. United States, , was a Supreme Court of the United States case that held that religious duty was not a suitable defense to a criminal indictment... |
polygamy Polygamy Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners... and freedom of religion |
|
| Wilkerson v. Utah Wilkerson v. Utah Wilkerson v. Utah, 99 U.S. 130 , is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court affirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah in stating that execution by firing squad, as prescribed by the Utah territorial statute, was not cruel and unusual punishment under the... |
capital punishment Capital punishment Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally... |
|
| Trade-Mark Cases Trade-Mark Cases The Trade-Mark Cases, 100 U.S. 82 , were a set of three cases consolidated into a single appeal before the United States Supreme Court, which in 1879 ruled that the Copyright Clause of the Constitution gave Congress no power to protect or regulate trademarks. 100 U.S. 82... |
Copyright Clause Copyright Clause Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, known as the Copyright Clause, empowers the United States Congress:- Other Terms :This clause is also referred to as:* Copyright and Patent Clause* Patent and Copyright Clause... does not give Congress the power to regulate trademark Trademark A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or... s |
|
| Baker v. Selden Baker v. Selden Baker v. Selden, , was a leading Supreme Court of the United States copyright case cited to explain the idea-expression dichotomy.-Facts:... |
1880–1899
| Case name | Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Strauder v. West Virginia Strauder v. West Virginia Strauder v. West Virginia, , was a United States Supreme Court case about racial discrimination.-Background:At the time, West Virginia excluded African-Americans from juries. Strauder was a Black man who, at trial, had been convicted of murder by an all-white jury... |
exclusion of blacks from juries | |
| Springer v. United States Springer v. United States Springer v. United States, 102 U.S. 586 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the Federal income tax imposed under the Revenue Act of 1864.- Background :... |
constitutionality of income tax Income tax An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate... set up by the Revenue Act of 1864 Revenue Act of 1864 The Internal Revenue Act of 1864, 13 Stat. 223 , increased the income tax rates established by the Internal Revenue Act of 1862. The measure was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.-Provisions:... |
|
| Kilbourn v. Thompson Kilbourn v. Thompson Kilbourn v. Thompson, was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the question whether or not the United States House of Representatives may compel testimony.... |
limitations on Congressional investigations | |
| Egbert v. Lippmann Egbert v. Lippmann Egbert v. Lippmann, 104 U.S. 333 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that public use of an invention bars the patenting of it.-Facts and procedural history:... |
early case concerning the on-sale bar On-sale bar The on-sale bar of 35 U.S.C. 102 is a United States patent law term that means if an invention has been for sale for over one year, it is no longer patentable.-35 U.S.C... in patent law |
|
| Pace v. Alabama Pace v. Alabama Pace v. Alabama, 106 U.S. 583 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court affirmed that Alabama's anti-miscegenation statute was constitutional. This ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1964 in McLaughlin v. Florida and in 1967 in Loving v... |
affirmed that Alabama's anti-miscegenation statute banning interracial marriage and interracial sex was not a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v... . |
|
| United States v. Harris United States v. Harris United States v. Harris, , sometimes referred to as the Ku Klux Case, was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to penalize crimes such as assault and murder. It declared that the local governments have the power to... (the Ku Klux Case) |
No Congressional United States Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.... power to pass ordinary criminal statutes |
|
| Civil Rights Cases Civil Rights Cases The Civil Rights Cases, 109 U.S. 3 , were a group of five similar cases consolidated into one issue for the United States Supreme Court to review... |
power of federal government to prohibit racial discrimination by private parties | |
| Ex parte Crow Dog Ex parte Crow Dog Ex parte Crow Dog, 109 U.S. 556 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that a federal court did not have jurisdiction to try Crow Dog, a Native American who killed another Indian on the reservation when the offense had been tried by the tribal council... |
repeal of law dealing with Native American Indians requires express language by Congress | |
| Hurtado v. California Hurtado v. California Hurtado v. California, 110 U.S. 516 , was a case decided on by the United States Supreme Court. The case helped define rules regarding the use of grand juries in indictments.- Facts of the case :... |
no requirement that states use a grand jury Grand jury A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing... to indict a defendant Defendant A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute... in a murder Murder Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide... prosecution |
|
| Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53 , was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that upheld the power of Congress to extend copyright protection to photography.-Background of the case:... |
copyrightability of photographs | |
| New England Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Woodworth New England Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Woodworth New England Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Woodworth 111 U.S. 138 was a U.S. Supreme Court case.- The case :On September 21, 1869, Ann E. Woodworth took out a life insurance policy on herself with the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company in Michigan. Her husband Stephen E. Woodworth was the... |
insurance law Insurance law Insurance law is the name given to practices of law surrounding insurance, including insurance policies and claims. It can be broadly broken into three categories - regulation of the business of insurance; regulation of the content of insurance policies, especially with regard to consumer... |
|
| Elk v. Wilkins Elk v. Wilkins Elk v. Wilkins, , was a United States Supreme Court case.John Elk, a Native American was born on an Indian reservation and subsequently moved to non-reservation U.S. territory, Omaha, Nebraska, where he renounced his former tribal allegiance and claimed citizenship by virtue of the Citizenship Clause... |
citizenship of native Americans | |
| Head Money Cases Head Money Cases The Head Money Cases, 112 U.S. 580 , were the subject of an important United States Supreme Court decision. They were decided on December 8, 1884.... |
treaties | |
| Cole v. La Grange Cole v. La Grange Cole v. La Grange, , was a case decided by the United States Supreme Court, in which the court held that the Missouri legislature could not authorize a city to issue bonds to assist corporations in their private business.... |
the court held that the Missouri legislature could not authorize a city to issue bonds to assist corporations in their private business. | |
| Central Railroad & Banking Co. of Ga. v. Pettus Central Railroad & Banking Co. of Ga. v. Pettus Central Railroad & Banking Co. of Ga. v. Pettus, , was an appeal from a decree of the Circuit Court of the United States for the Middle district of Alabama in favor of the appellees, Pettus & Dawson and Watts & Sons, adjudging them entitled to the sum of ,161.21, and interest thereon at eight... |
An appeal regarding monies owed and a lein upon the roadbed, depots, side tracks, turnouts, trestles, and bridges owned and used by the appellants. | |
| Avegno v. Schmidt Avegno v. Schmidt Avegno v. Schmidt, , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that title to property confiscated from its original owner during the American Civil War was properly held by the mortgagor of the property.... |
title to mortgaged property confiscated by the U.S. government during the Civil War | |
| Baylis v. Travellers' Ins. Co. Baylis v. Travellers' Ins. Co. Baylis v. Travellers' Ins. Co., , was a case where after close of testimony in a trial, the defendant moved to dismiss on the ground of the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain a verdict. This motion was denied and the plaintiff asked that the case be submitted to the jury to determine the... |
right to trial by jury Trial by Jury Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its... in a civil case |
|
| California Artificial Stone Paving Co. v. Molitor California Artificial Stone Paving Co. v. Molitor California Artificial Stone Paving Co. v. Molitor, , involved a bill that was filed by the appellant against the appellee complaining that the latter was infringing on a letters patent granted to one John J... |
Patent infringement case on an improvement in concrete paving | |
| Winona & St. Peter R. Co. v. Barney Winona & St. Peter R. Co. v. Barney Winona & St. Peter R. Co. v. Barney, , was a case involving public land grants to a state to aid in constructing railroads which contained a description which would be difficult to give full effect if used in an instrument of private conveyance... |
Public land grant for Railroad construction | |
| Kansas Pacific R. Co. v. Dunmeyer Kansas Pacific R. Co. v. Dunmeyer Kansas Pacific R. Co. v. Dunmeyer, , was a writ of error to the Supreme Court of Kansas. The action was brought in that court on a covenant of warranty of title to two pieces of land in a deed of conveyance made by the Kansas Pacific Railroad Company to Dunmeyer. The suit was brought for breach... |
Land ownership dispute | |
| Schmieder v. Barney Schmieder v. Barney Schmieder v. Barney, , regards the Act of July 14, 1862, § 9, 12 Stat. 553, which imposes a duty, "On all delaines . . . and on all goods of similar description, not exceeding in value forty cents per square yard, two cents per square yard." Held that the similarity required is a similarity in... |
case regarding description of articles subject to duty | |
| Camp v. United States Camp v. United States Camp v. United States, , was an action brought by the appellant on April 13, 1869 to recover a balance alleged to be due as compensation for collecting and delivering to the United States a large amount of cotton in bales which was captured and abandoned property within the meaning of the acts of... |
case to recover an alleged balance due as compensation for collecting and delivering to the United States a large amount of cotton in bales which was captured and abandoned property | |
| Maxwell's Executors v. Wilkinson Maxwell's Executors v. Wilkinson Maxwell's Executors v. Wilkinson, , was a writ of error brought by the executors of a former collector of the port of New York to reverse a judgment in an action brought against him by the defendant in error to recover duties paid by them on imported iron.... |
writ of error brought by the executors of a former collector of the port of New York to reverse a judgment in an action brought against him by the defendant in error to recover duties paid by them on imported iron | |
| Flagg v. Walker Flagg v. Walker Flagg v. Walker, , regards a case where the deeds for several parcels of land were transferred from Flagg, who was in financial difficulty, to Walker in return for paying off Flagg's debts and profits from the sale against a mortgage for other property owned by Flagg.William F... |
case where the deeds for several parcels of land were transferred from Flagg, who was in financial difficulty, to Walker in return for paying off Flagg's debts and profits from the sale against a mortgage for other property owned by Flagg. | |
| Railroad Commission Cases Railroad Commission Cases The Railroad Commission Cases, , is a United States Supreme Court case concerning the power of states to set transportation charges of railroad companies... |
contracts, police power Police power In United States constitutional law, police power is the capacity of the states to regulate behavior and enforce order within their territory for the betterment of the general welfare, morals, health, and safety of their inhabitants... , regulation of transport |
|
| Yick Wo v. Hopkins Yick Wo v. Hopkins Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356 , was the first case where the United States Supreme Court ruled that a law that is race-neutral on its face, but is administered in a prejudicial manner, is an infringement of the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S... |
equal protection, racially-neutral laws administered in a discriminatory manner | |
| United States v. Kagama United States v. Kagama United States v. Kagama, , is a United States Supreme Court case that upheld the Constitutionality of the Major Crimes Act of 1885. Kagama was selected as a test case by the Department of Justice to test the constitutionality of the Major Crimes Act of 1885, which was passed as a rider to an... |
federal court jurisdiction over crimes committed on Indian reservation Indian reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs... s |
|
| Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with taxation of railroad properties... |
corporate personhood | |
| Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company v. Illinois | regulation of interstate commerce by individual states, creation of ICC | |
| Ker v. Illinois Ker v. Illinois Ker v. Illinois, 119 U.S. 436 , is a U.S. Supreme Court case. It held that a fugitive kidnapped from abroad could not claim any violation of the Constitution, laws or treaties of the United States.... |
legality of abduction of criminal suspect abroad | |
| The Telephone Cases The Telephone Cases The Telephone Cases were a series of U.S. court cases in the 1870s and 1880s related to the invention of the telephone, which culminated in the 1888 decision of the United States Supreme Court upholding the priority of the patents belonging to Alexander Graham Bell... |
External links
- History of the Court, The Waite Court 1874-1888 Supreme Court Historical SocietySupreme Court Historical SocietyThe Supreme Court Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of the U.S. Supreme Court.-History:...
.