# List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 300

This is a list of cases reported in volume 300 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1937.

## Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 300 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 300 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:
| Justice | Office | Home State | Succeeded | Date confirmed by the Senate (Vote) | Tenure on Supreme Court |
| Charles Evans Hughes | Chief Justice | New York | William Howard Taft | February 13, 1930 (52–26) | February 24, 1930 – June 30, 1941 (Retired) |
| Willis Van Devanter | Associate Justice | Wyoming | Edward Douglass White (as Associate Justice) | December 15, 1910 (Acclamation) | January 3, 1911 – June 2, 1937 (Retired) |
| 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) |
| George Sutherland | Associate Justice | Utah | John Hessin Clarke | September 5, 1922 (Acclamation) | October 2, 1922 – January 17, 1938 (Retired) |
| Pierce Butler | Associate Justice | Minnesota | William R. Day | December 21, 1922 (61–8) | January 2, 1923 – November 16, 1939 (Died) |
| Harlan F. Stone | Associate Justice | New York | Joseph McKenna | February 5, 1925 (71–6) | March 2, 1925 – July 2, 1941 (Continued as chief justice) |
| Owen Roberts | Associate Justice | Pennsylvania | Edward Terry Sanford | May 20, 1930 (Acclamation) | June 2, 1930 – July 31, 1945 (Resigned) |
| Benjamin N. Cardozo | Associate Justice | New York | Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. | February 24, 1932 (Acclamation) | March 14, 1932 – July 9, 1938 (Died) |

## Notable case in 300 U.S.
### West Coast Hotel Company v. Parrish

In West Coast Hotel Company v. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379 (1937), the Supreme Court upheld state minimum wage legislation. The Court's decision overturned an earlier holding in Adkins v. Children's Hospital (1923), and is generally regarded as having ended the Lochner era, a period in American legal history during which the Supreme Court tended to invalidate legislation aimed at regulating business. The decision was popularly called "The switch in time that saved nine".

## Federal court system

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.

## List of cases in volume 300 U.S.

| Case name | Citation | Opinion of the Court | Vote | Concurring opinion or statement | Dissenting opinion or statement | Procedural jurisdiction | Result |
| Taber, Treasurer of Payne County v. Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company | 300 U.S. 1 (1937) | Hughes | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the Oklahoma Supreme Court (Okla.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Blair v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue | 300 U.S. 5 (1937) | Hughes | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (7th Cir.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Honeyman v. Hanan | 300 U.S. 14 (1937) | Hughes | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the New York Supreme Court (N.Y. Supreme Court) | judgment vacated, and cause remanded |
| O’Connor v. Mills | 300 U.S. 26 (1937) | per curiam | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Wayne County Board of Review v. Great Lakes Steel Corporation | 300 U.S. 29 (1937) | per curiam | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (E.D. Mich.) | decree affirmed |
| United States ex rel. Wilhelm v. Chain | 300 U.S. 31 (1937) | VanDevanter | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| Elmhurst Cemetery Company of Joliet v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue | 300 U.S. 37 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (7th Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| United States v. Giles | 300 U.S. 41 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| Kelly v. United States | 300 U.S. 50 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| Thompson v. Consolidated Gas Utility Corporation | 300 U.S. 55 (1937) | Brandeis | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (W.D. Tex.) | judgment affirmed |
| Ickes, Secretary of the Interior v. Fox | 300 U.S. 82 (1937) | Sutherland | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Osaka Shosen Kaisha Line v. United States | 300 U.S. 98 (1937) | Sutherland | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Hill v. United States ex rel. Weiner | 300 U.S. 105 (1937) | Sutherland | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| Midland Realty Company v. Kansas City Power and Light Company | 300 U.S. 109 (1937) | Butler | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the Missouri Supreme Court (Mo.) | judgment affirmed |
| Cummings v. Deutsche Bank und Disconto-Gesellschaft | 300 U.S. 115 (1937) | Butler | 8-0[a] | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Cir.) | decree reversed |
| Richmond Mortgage and Loan Corporation v. Wachovia Bank and Trust Company | 300 U.S. 124 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the North Carolina Supreme Court (N.C.) | judgment affirmed |
| Wayne United Gas Company v. Owens-Illinois Glass Company | 300 U.S. 131 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Isbrandtsen-Moller Company v. United States | 300 U.S. 139 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) | decree affirmed |
| Dupont v. United States | 300 U.S. 150 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.) | judgment affirmed |
| Great Northern Railway Company v. Washington | 300 U.S. 154 (1937) | Roberts | 5-4 | none | Cardozo (opinion; joined by Hughes, Brandeis, and Stone) | appeal from the Washington Supreme Court (Wash.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Peoples Banking Company v. Sterling | 300 U.S. 175 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the Maryland Court of Appeals (Md.) | decrees affirmed |
| Morley Construction Company v. Maryland Casualty Company | 300 U.S. 185 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Knox National Farm Loan Association v. Phillips | 300 U.S. 194 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the Ohio District Courts of Appeals (Ohio Dist. Ct. App.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| American Life Insurance Company v. Stewart | 300 U.S. 203 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (10th Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Helvering, Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Midland Mutual Life Insurance Company | 300 U.S. 216 (1937) | Brandeis | 8-1 | none | McReynolds (opinion) | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Cir.) | decree reversed |
| Aetna Life Insurance Co. v. Haworth | 300 U.S. 227 (1937) | Hughes | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Lawrence v. Shaw | 300 U.S. 245 (1937) | Hughes | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the North Carolina Supreme Court (N.C.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| Sumi v. Young | 300 U.S. 251 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | Stone and Cardozo (joint brief statement) | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.) | judgment affirmed |
| Hoffman v. Rauch | 300 U.S. 255 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Henderson Company v. Thompson | 300 U.S. 258 (1937) | Brandeis | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (W.D. Tex.) | judgment affirmed |
| Founders General Corporation v. Hoey, Collector of Internal Revenue | 300 U.S. 268 (1937) | Brandeis | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.) | judgment affirmed (one case); judgment reversed (two cases) |
| Powell v. United States | 300 U.S. 276 (1937) | Butler | 7-0[b][c] | Cardozo (brief statement) | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (S.D. Ga.) | judgment reversed |
| Ingels, Director of the Motor Vehicle Department v. Morf | 300 U.S. 290 (1937) | Stone | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of California (S.D. Cal.) | judgment affirmed |
| Swayne and Hoyt, Ltd. v. United States | 300 U.S. 297 (1937) | Stone | 8-1 | none | Sutherland (without opinion) | appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C.) | judgment affirmed |
| New York ex rel. Cohn v. Graves | 300 U.S. 308 (1937) | Stone | 7-2 | none | Butler (opinion; with which McReynolds concurred) | appeal from the New York Supreme Court (N.Y. Sup. Ct.) | judgment affirmed |
| Phelps v. Board of Education of West New York | 300 U.S. 319 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | appeal from the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals (N.J.) | judgments affirmed |
| Holyoke Water Power Company v. American Writing Paper Company | 300 U.S. 324 (1937) | Cardozo | 5-4 | none | VanDevanter, McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler (without opinions) | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Van Beeck v. Sabine Towing Company | 300 U.S. 342 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Brush v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue | 300 U.S. 352 (1937) | Sutherland | 7-2 | Stone and Cardozo (brief joint statement) | Roberts (opinion; joined by Brandeis) | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2d Cir.) | decree reversed |
| West Coast Hotel Company v. Parrish | 300 U.S. 379 (1937) | Hughes | 5-4 | none | Sutherland (opinion; joined by VanDevanter, McReynolds, and Butler) | appeal from the Washington Supreme Court (Wash.) | judgment affirmed |
| Dugas v. American Surety Company | 300 U.S. 414 (1937) | VanDevanter | 6-2[c] | none | Hughes and Cardozo (joint short statement) | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Matos v. Alonso Hermanos | 300 U.S. 429 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| General Baking Company v. Harr, Secretary of Banking of Pennsylvania | 300 U.S. 433 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Stroehmann v. Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York | 300 U.S. 435 (1937) | McReynolds | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | decree reversed |
| Wright v. Mountain Trust Bank of Roanoke | 300 U.S. 440 (1937) | Brandeis | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.) | decree reversed |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company v. Scarlett | 300 U.S. 471 (1937) | Sutherland | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the California Supreme Court (Cal.) | judgment reversed, and cause remanded |
| American Propeller Manufacturing Company v. United States | 300 U.S. 475 (1937) | Sutherland | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Claims (Ct. Cl.) | judgment reversed |
| Helvering, Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Tex-Penn Oil Company | 300 U.S. 481 (1937) | Butler | 8-0[a] | Cardozo (without opinion) | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | judgment affirmed |
| United States v. Madigan | 300 U.S. 500 (1937) | Stone | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.) | decree reversed |
| Sonzinsky v. United States | 300 U.S. 506 (1937) | Stone | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (7th Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Virginian Railway Company v. Railway Employees | 300 U.S. 515 (1937) | Stone | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| United States v. Norris | 300 U.S. 564 (1937) | Roberts | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.) | judgment reversed |
| Henneford v. Silas Mason Company | 300 U.S. 577 (1937) | Cardozo | 7-2 | none | McReynolds and Butler (without opinions) | appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (E.D. Wash.) | decree reversed |
| Martin v. National Surety Company | 300 U.S. 588 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.) | decree affirmed |
| Brown v. O’Keefe | 300 U.S. 598 (1937) | Cardozo | 9-0 | none | none | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3d Cir.) | decree reversed, and cause remanded |
| Highland Farms Dairy, Inc. v. Agnew | 300 U.S. 608 (1937) | Cardozo | 5-4 | VanDevanter, McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler (concurring in part; joint short statement) | VanDevanter, McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler (dissenting in part; joint short statement) | appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (E.D. Va.) | decree affirmed |
| District of Columbia v. Clawans | 300 U.S. 617 (1937) | Stone | 7-2 | none | McReynolds and Butler (joint opinion) | certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C. Cir.) | judgment affirmed |
    [a] Roberts took no part in the case
    [b] Brandeis took no part in the case
    [c] Stone took no part in the case