# List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 123

This is a list of cases reported in volume 123 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1887.

## Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 123 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).
After the death of Justice William Burnham Woods in May 1887, when the cases in volume 123 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following eight members:
| Justice | Office | Home State | Succeeded | Date confirmed by the Senate (Vote) | Tenure on Supreme Court |
| Morrison Waite | Chief Justice | Ohio | Salmon P. Chase | January 21, 1874 (63–0) | March 4, 1874 – March 23, 1888 (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) |

## Notable Case in 123 U.S.
### Mugler v. Kansas

In Mugler v. Kansas, 123 U.S. 623 (1887), the Supreme Court held that state law prohibiting the manufacture of intoxicating liquor does not infringe on a right or privilege secured by the federal Constitution. The Court, however, decided that it had the power to inquire into the intentions behind regulations to determine the connection between the regulations and the state's police power.

## 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 123 U.S.

| Case Name | Page and year | Opinion of the Court | Concurring opinion(s) | Dissenting opinion(s) | Lower court | Disposition |
| Coffee v. Groover | 1 (1887) | Bradley | none | none | Fla. | reversed |
| United States v. Louisiana | 32 (1887) | Field | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| United States v. Alabama | 39 (1887) | Field | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| The Excelsior | 40 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.E.D. Va. | affirmed |
| Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway Company v. Simmons | 52 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | dismissed |
| Morey v. Lockhart | 56 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | dismissed |
| Gilson v. Town of Dayton | 59 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | affirmed |
| Henderson v. Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company | 61 (1887) | Gray | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | affirmed |
| Sun Mutual Insurance Company v. Kountz Transportation Company | 65 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | rehearing denied |
| Orient Mutual Insurance Company v. Adams | 67 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.W.D. Pa. | affirmed |
| Tufts v. Tufts | 76 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. Utah | affirmed |
| Davis v. Key | 79 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | Sup. Ct. D.C. | affirmed |
| Davenport National Bank v. Board of Equalization | 83 (1887) | Miller | none | none | Iowa | affirmed |
| Parker and Whipple Company v. Yale Clock Company | 87 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.D. Conn. | affirmed |
| Bull v. Bank of Kasson | 105 (1887) | Field | none | none | C.C.D. Minn. | reversed |
| United States v. Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company | 113 (1887) | Gray | none | none | C.C.E.D. Pa. | affirmed |
| Coan v. Flagg | 117 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | Ohio | affirmed |
| Spies v. Illinois | 131 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Ill. | dismissed |
| Mathews v. United States | 182 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| United States v. Mullan | 186 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Craig v. Leitensdorfer | 189 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | C.C.D. Colo. | reversed |
| Missouri ex rel. Harshman v. Winterbottom | 215 (1887) | Miller | none | none | C.C.E.D. Mo. | affirmed |
| Hoard v. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company | 222 (1887) | Miller | none | none | C.C.D.W. Va. | affirmed |
| Finn v. United States | 227 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Richter v. Jerome | 233 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.W.D. Mich. | affirmed |
| Smith and Griggs Manufacturing Company v. Sprague | 249 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | C.C.D. Conn. | reversed |
| Andrews v. Hovey | 267 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | affirmed |
| Siemens's Administrator v. Sellers | 276 (1887) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.E.D. Pa. | affirmed |
| Wilkinson v. Nebraska ex rel. Cleveland Society | 286 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.D. Neb. | dismissed |
| Sands v. Manistee River Improvement Company | 288 (1887) | Field | none | none | Mich. | affirmed |
| Ruggles v. Manistee River Improvement Company | 297 (1887) | Field | none | none | Mich. | affirmed |
| Hitz v. Jenks | 297 (1887) | Gray | none | none | Sup. Ct. D.C. | affirmed |
| Colorado Coal and Iron Company v. United States | 307 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | C.C.D. Colo. | reversed |
| Dewey v. West Fairmont Gas Coal Company | 329 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | C.C.D.W. Va. | affirmed |
| United States v. Morant | 335 (1887) | Bradley | none | none | N.D. Fla. | affirmed |
| United States v. Allen | 345 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | Ct. Cl. | reversed |
| The Maggie J. Smith | 349 (1887) | Field | none | none | C.C.D. Md. | affirmed |
| Oelbermann and Company v. Merritt | 356 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.S.D.N.Y. | reversed |
| Mustin and Company v. Cadwalader | 369 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.E.D. Pa. | reversed |
| In re Henry | 372 (1887) | Waite | none | none | W.D.S.C. | dismissed |
| Cox v. Western Land and Cattle Company | 375 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | dismissed |
| Lamaster v. Keeler | 376 (1887) | Field | none | none | C.C.D. Neb. | reversed |
| White v. Barber | 392 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ill. | affirmed |
| Jewell and Sons v. Knight | 426 (1887) | Gray | none | none | C.C.D. Ind. | dismissed |
| Smith v. Craft | 436 (1887) | Gray | none | none | C.C.D. Ind. | dismissed |
| In re Ayers | 443 (1887) | Matthews | Field | Harlan | C.C.E.D. Va. | reversed |
| Spraul v. Louisiana | 516 (1887) | Waite | none | none | La. | show cause denied |
| Benites v. Hampton | 519 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. Utah | dismissed |
| Le Sassier v. Kennedy | 521 (1887) | Waite | none | none | La. | dismissed |
| New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad Company v. Madison | 524 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.N.D. Ohio | affirmed |
| Stryker v. Goodnow's Administrator | 527 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Iowa | affirmed |
| Chapman v. Goodnow's Administrator | 540 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Iowa | affirmed |
| Litchfield v. Goodnow's Administrator | 549 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Iowa | affirmed |
| Des Moines Navigation and Railroad Company v. Iowa Homestead Company | 552 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Iowa | reversed |
| Plumb v. Goodnow's Administrator | 560 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Iowa | reversed |
| Lacombe v. E.J. Forstall's Sons | 562 (1887) | Miller | none | none | C.C.E.D. La. | affirmed |
| J. Teal and Company v. Bilby | 572 (1887) | Miller | none | none | C.C.W.D. Mo. | affirmed |
| Hailes v. Albany Stove Company | 582 (1887) | Bradley | none | none | C.C.N.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Crawford v. Heysinger | 589 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.E.D. Pa. | reversed |
| Wilson v. Riddle | 608 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.S.D. Ga. | affirmed |
| L. Zeckendorf and Company v. Johnson | 617 (1887) | Waite | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. Ariz. | affirmed |
| Bond v. Davenport | 619 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | reversed |
| Mugler v. Kansas | 623 (1887) | Harlan | none | Field | Kan.; C.C.D. Kan. | multiple |
| Sherman v. Grinnell | 679 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.S.D.N.Y. | dismissed |
| United States v. Hill | 681 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.D. Mass. | dismissed |
| Texas and Pacific Railway Company v. Marlor | 687 (1887) | Blatchford | none | none | C.C.S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Robison v. Female Orphan Asylum | 702 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | C.C.D. Me. | affirmed |
| Northern Pacific Railway Company v. Mares | 710 (1887) | Matthews | none | none | Sup. Ct. Terr. Dakota | affirmed |
| Marquette, Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad Company v. United States | 722 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.W.D. Mich. | reversed |
| Radford v. Folsom | 725 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | dismissed |
| North Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Commercial National Bank | 727 (1887) | Field | none | none | C.C.E.D. Pa. | affirmed |
| Aetna Life Insurance Company v. Davey | 739 (1887) | Harlan | none | none | C.C.D.N.J. | reversed |
| Talkington v. Dumbleton | 745 (1887) | Waite | none | none | C.C.D. Or. | dismissed |
| Hefner v. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company | 747 (1887) | Gray | none | none | C.C.S.D. Iowa | affirmed |