# List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 244

This is a list of the reported in volume 244 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1917.

## Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 244 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 244 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:
| 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) |

## 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.
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

## List of cases in volume 244 U.S.

| Case Name | Page and year | Opinion of the Court | Concurring opinion(s) | Dissenting opinion(s) | Lower Court | Disposition |
| Ewing v. United States ex rel. Fowler Car Company | 1 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | D.C. Cir. | reversed |
| The Kronprinzessin Cecilie | 12 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | 1st Cir. | reversed |
| Chicago Life Insurance Company v. Cherry | 25 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | Ill. App. | affirmed |
| Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company v. Texas Packing Company | 31 (1917) | Day | none | none | Tex. Civ. App. | affirmed |
| Van Dyke v. Geary | 39 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | D. Ariz. | affirmed |
| Toledo Railways and Light Company v. Hill | 49 (1917) | White | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | reversed |
| Meisukas v. Greenough Red Ash Coal Company | 54 (1917) | White | none | none | E.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| American Express Company v. United States Horse Shoe Company | 58 (1917) | White | none | none | Pa. | reversed |
| Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Company v. Gotschall | 66 (1917) | White | none | none | Minn. | affirmed |
| Ohio River Contract Company v. Gordon | 68 (1917) | White | none | none | Ky. | affirmed |
| Chesbrough v. Woodworth | 72 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | 6th Cir. | affirmed |
| Woodworth v. Chesbrough | 79 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | 6th Cir. | dismissed |
| United States v. Illinois Central Railroad Company | 82 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | E.D. Ill. | reversed |
| West v. Rutledge Timber Company | 90 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | 9th Cir. | affirmed |
| E.I. Du Pont de Nemours Powder Company v. Masland | 100 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | 3d Cir. | reversed |
| Nevada–California–Oregon Railway Company v. Burris | 103 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | Nev. | dismissed |
| Rowland v. Boyle | 106 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | E.D. Ark. | affirmed |
| United States v. Wildcat | 111 (1917) | Day | none | none | 8th Cir. | affirmed |
| Yankaus v. Feltenstein | 127 (1917) | Day | none | none | City Ct. of N.Y.C. | affirmed |
| Lewis v. United States | 134 (1917) | Day | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| New York Central Railroad Company v. Winfield | 147 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | Brandeis | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | reversed |
| Erie Railroad Company v. Winfield | 170 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | N.J. | reversed |
| Lane v. Hoglund | 174 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | D.C. Cir. | affirmed |
| Lehigh Valley Railroad Company v. Barlow | 183 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | reversed |
| Smith v. Third National Exchange Bank of Sandusky | 184 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | N.M. | affirmed |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Company v. McGrew Coal Company | 191 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | Mo. | affirmed |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Company v. Taber | 200 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | Mo. | dismissed |
| Valley Steamship Company v. Wattawa | 202 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | Ohio App. | dismissed |
| Southern Pacific Company v. Jensen | 205 (1917) | McReynolds | none | Holmes; Pitney | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | reversed |
| Clyde Steamship Company v. Walker | 255 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | reversed |
| Sutton v. New Jersey | 258 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | N.J. | affirmed |
| United Copper Securities Company v. Amalgamated Copper Company | 261 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | 2d Cir. | affirmed |
| Hamer v. New York Railways Company Company | 266 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Norfolk Southern Railroad Company v. Chatman | 276 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | 4th Cir. | affirmed |
| Railroad Supply Company v. Elyria Iron and Steel Company | 285 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | 6th Cir. | affirmed |
| Hart Steel Company v. Railroad Supply Company | 294 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | 7th Cir. | reversed |
| Cuyahoga River Power Company v. Northern Realty Company | 300 (1917) | White | none | none | Ohio App. | dismissed |
| Doepel v. Jones | 305 (1917) | White | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company v. Blackwell | 310 (1917) | McKenna | none | none | Ga. App. | reversed |
| Saunders v. Shaw | 317 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | La. | reversed |
| Erie Railroad Company v. Purucker | 320 (1917) | Day | none | none | Ohio App. | affirmed |
| Farmers Irrigation District v. Nebraska ex rel. O'Shea | 325 (1917) | Day | none | none | Neb. | affirmed |
| Erie Railroad Company v. Stone | 332 (1917) | Day | none | none | Ohio App. | reversed |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company v. United States | 336 (1917) | Day | none | none | 9th Cir. | affirmed |
| Western Oil Refining Company v. Lipscomb | 346 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | Tenn. | reversed |
| Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company v. United States | 351 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | 9th Cir. | affirmed |
| New York Central Railroad Company v. Tonsellito | 360 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | N.J. | multiple |
| Mason v. United States | 362 (1917) | McReynolds | none | none | D. Alaska | affirmed |
| St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company v. McKnight | 368 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | 8th Cir. | affirmed |
| Illinois Surety Company v. John Davis Company | 376 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | 7th Cir. | affirmed |
| Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company v. Ward | 383 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | Tex. Civ. App. | affirmed |
| Mississippi Railroad Commission v. Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company | 388 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | S.D. Miss. | affirmed |
| United States ex rel. Louisiana v. Jack | 397 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | 5th Cir. | affirmed |
| Wall v. Parrot Silver and Copper Company | 407 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | D. Mont. | affirmed |
| Ex parte Park Square Automobile Station | 412 (1917) | White | none | none | N.D.N.Y. | mandamus denied |
| First National Bank of Bay City v. Fellows | 416 (1917) | White | none | VanDevanter | Mich. | reversed |
| Valdez v. United States | 432 (1917) | McKenna | none | Clarke | Phil. | affirmed |
| Ex parte Indiana Transportation Company | 456 (1917) | Holmes | none | none | not indicated | prohibition granted |
| Paine Lumber Company, Ltd. v. Neal | 459 (1917) | Holmes | none | Pitney | 2d Cir. | affirmed |
| Hopkins v. Walker | 486 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | D. Mont. | reversed |
| Santa Fe Pacific Railroad Company v. Lane | 492 (1917) | VanDevanter | none | none | D.C. Cir. | reversed |
| Greene v. Louisville and Interurban Railroad Company | 499 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | E.D. Ky. | affirmed |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Greene | 522 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | E.D. Ky. | multiple |
| Illinois Central Railroad Company v. Greene | 555 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | E.D. Ky. | affirmed |
| Darnell v. Edwards | 564 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | S.D. Miss. | affirmed |
| Southern Railroad Company v. Puckett | 571 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | Ga. App. | affirmed |
| Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company v. Reynolds | 574 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | W.D. Wash. | affirmed |
| Lanham v. McKeel | 582 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| McCoach v. Insurance Company of North America | 585 (1917) | Pitney | none | none | 3d Cir. | reversed |
| Adams v. Tanner | 590 (1917) | McReynolds | none | McKenna; Brandeis | E.D. Wash. | reversed |
| American Express Company v. South Dakota ex rel. Caldwell | 617 (1917) | Brandeis | none | none | S.D. | affirmed |
| Washington Railway and Electric Company v. Scala | 630 (1917) | Clarke | none | none | D.C. Cir. | affirmed |