# List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 131

This is a list of cases reported in volume 131 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1888 and 1889.

## Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 131 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 131 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:
| Justice | Office | Home State | Succeeded | Date confirmed by the Senate (Vote) | Tenure on Supreme Court |
| Melville Fuller | Chief Justice | Illinois | Morrison Waite | July 20, 1888 (41–20) | October 8, 1888 – July 4, 1910 (Died) |
| Samuel Freeman Miller | Associate Justice | Iowa | Peter Vivian Daniel | July 16, 1862 (Acclamation) | July 21, 1862 – October 13, 1890 (Died) |
| Stephen Johnson Field | Associate Justice | California | newly created seat | March 10, 1863 (Acclamation) | May 10, 1863 – December 1, 1897 (Retired) |
| Joseph P. Bradley | Associate Justice | New Jersey | newly created seat | March 21, 1870 (46–9) | March 23, 1870 – January 22, 1892 (Died) |
| John Marshall Harlan | Associate Justice | Kentucky | David Davis | November 29, 1877 (Acclamation) | December 10, 1877 – October 14, 1911 (Died) |
| Stanley Matthews | Associate Justice | Ohio | Noah Haynes Swayne | May 12, 1881 (24–23) | May 17, 1881 – March 22, 1889 (Died) |
| Horace Gray | Associate Justice | Massachusetts | Nathan Clifford | December 20, 1881 (51–5) | January 9, 1882 – September 15, 1902 (Died) |
| Samuel Blatchford | Associate Justice | New York | Ward Hunt | March 22, 1882 (Acclamation) | April 3, 1882 – July 7, 1893 (Died) |
| Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar | Associate Justice | Mississippi | William Burnham Woods | January 16, 1888 (32–28) | January 18, 1888 – January 23, 1893 (Died) |

## 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.
Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.
* "C.C.D." = United States Circuit Court for the District of . . .
** e.g.,"C.C.D.N.J." = United States Circuit Court for the District of New Jersey
* "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.,"C.C.S.D.N.Y." = United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York
** 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

## List of cases in volume 131 U.S.

| Case Name | Page & year | Opinion of the Court | Concurring opinion(s) | Dissenting opinion(s) | Lower Court | Disposition |
| United States v. Jones | 1 (1889) | Bradley | none | Miller | C.C.D. Or. | reversed |
| United States v. Drew | 21 (1889) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.W.D. La. | reversed |
| Kennon v. Gilmer | 22 (1889) | Gray | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. Mont. | reversed |
| Allman v. United States | 31 (1889) | Lamar | none | none | Ct. Cl. | reversed |
| United States v. Davis | 36 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | D. Md. | dismissal denied |
| Terry v. Sharon | 40 (1889) | Miller | none | none | C.C.N.D. Cal. | affirmed |
| United States v. Hall | 50 (1889) | Miller | none | none | C.C.D. Cal. | certification |
| United States v. Perrin | 55 (1889) | Miller | none | none | C.C.D. Cal. | certification |
| United States v. Reilly | 58 (1889) | Miller | none | none | C.C.D. Cal. | certification |
| Palmer v. Arthur | 60 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | C.C.D. Ky. | affirmed |
| Spalding v. Manasse | 65 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | affirmed |
| Abendroth v. Van Dolsen & Arnott | 66 (1889) | Lamar | none | none | New York City Ct. | affirmed |
| Douglass v. Lewis | 75 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. N.M. | affirmed |
| Fowle v. Park | 88 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | C.C.S.D. Ohio | reversed |
| United States M.A. Ass'n v. Barry | 100 (1889) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.E.D. Wis. | affirmed |
| Thompson v. Hubbard | 123 (1889) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.E.D. Mo. | reversed |
| Stewart v. Masterson | 151 (1889) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.W.D. Tex. | reversed |
| Cornely v. Marckwald | 159 (1889) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Coler v. City of Cleburne | 162 (1889) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.N.D. Tex. | affirmed |
| Ex Parte Nielsen | 176 (1889) | Bradley | none | none | D. Terr. Utah | reversed |
| City of New Orleans v. Gaines's Adm'r | 191 (1889) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | reversed |
| City of New Orleans v. Christmas | 220 (1889) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | reversed |
| Ex Parte Parker | 221 (1889) | Field | none | none | Wash. | mandamus issued |
| Stickney v. Stickney | 227 (1889) | Field | none | none | Sup. Ct. D.C. | affirmed |
| Crehore v. Ohio & M. Ry. Co. | 240 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.D. Ky. | modification denied |
| Morgan v. Struthers | 246 (1889) | Lamar | none | none | C.C.W.D. Pa. | reversed |
| Bacon v. Northwestern M.L. Ins. Co. | 258 (1889) | Lamar | none | none | C.C.W.D. Mich. | affirmed |
| In re Savin | 267 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.S.D. Cal. | affirmed |
| In re Cuddy | 280 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.S.D. Cal. | affirmed |
| Segrist v. Crabtree | 287 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. N.M. | affirmed |
| Veach v. Rice | 293 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ga. | reversed |
| Hawkins v. Glenn | 319 (1889) | Fuller | none | none | C.C.E.D.N.C. | affirmed |
| Embrey v. Jemison | 336 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.E.D. Va. | reversed |
| Mellen v. Moline M.I. Works | 352 (1889) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | affirmed |
| Pittsburgh et al. Ry. Co. v. Keokuk & H.B. Co. | 371 (1889) | Gray | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | affirmed |
| Williams v. Conger | 390 (1888) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.N.D. Tex. | rehearing denied |
| Marshall v. United States | 391 (1888) | Fuller | none | Harlan | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Radford v. Folsom | 392 (1888) | per curiam | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | dismissed |
| Pacific E. Co. v. Malin | 394 (1888) | per curiam | none | none | C.C.W.D. Tex. | dismissed |
| Chicago et al. Ry. Co. v. Gray | 396 (1889) | per curiam | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | dismissed |
| List v. Pennsylvania | 396 (1888) | per curiam | none | none | Pa. | dismissed |
| Dent v. Ferguson | 397 (1889) | per curiam | none | none | C.C.W.D. Tenn. | costs remitted |
| Hunt v. Blackburn | 403 (1889) | per curiam | none | none | C.C.E.D. Ark. | decree absolute |
| Freeland v. Williams | 405 (1889) | Miller | none | Harlan | W. Va. | affirmed |
| Menken v. City of Atlanta | 405 (1889) | per curiam | none | none | Ga. | dismissed |