# List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 251

This is a list of cases reported in volume 251 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1919 and 1920.

## Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 251 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 251 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 251 U.S.

| Case Name | Page and year | Opinion of the Court | Concurring opinion(s) Van | Dissenting opinion(s) | Lower Court | Disposition |
| United States v. Southern Pacific Company | 1 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | 9th Cir. | reversed |
| Stroud v. United States | 15 (1919) | Day | none | none | D. Kan. | affirmed |
| Pacific Gas and Electric Company v. City of Sacramento | 22 (1919) | White | none | none | Cal. Ct. App. | affirmed |
| Postal Telegraph-Cable Company v. Warren-Godwin Lumber Company | 27 (1919) | White | none | none | Miss. | reversed |
| City of Los Angeles v. Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation | 32 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | S.D. Cal. | affirmed |
| Ervien v. United States | 41 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | 8th Cir. | affirmed |
| Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Steam Navigation Company v. Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal | 48 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | 2d Cir. | affirmed |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company v. Cole | 54 (1919) | Holmes | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| Bragg v. Weaver | 57 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | Va. | affirmed |
| St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company v. Williams | 63 (1919) | VanDevanter | none | none | Ark. | affirmed |
| Corsicana National Bank of Corsicana v. Johnson | 68 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | 5th Cir. | reversed |
| Wagner v. City of Covington | 95 (1919) | Pitney | none | none | Ky. | affirmed |
| Oklahoma Railway Company v. Severns Paving Company | 104 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | Okla. | affirmed |
| Evans v. National Bank of Savannah | 108 (1919) | McReynolds | none | Pitney | Ga. Ct. App. | affirmed |
| Peters v. Veasey | 121 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | La. | reversed |
| New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company v. United States | 123 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| United States v. Osage County | 128 (1919) | White | none | none | 8th Cir. | reversed |
| Bone v. Marion County | 134 (1919) | McKenna | none | none | 7th Cir. | affirmed |
| Hamilton v. Kentucky Distilleries and Warehouse Company | 146 (1919) | Brandeis | none | none | multiple | multiple |
| Sullivan v. City of Shreveport | 169 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | La. | affirmed |
| Hardin-Wyandot Lighting Company v. Village of Upper Sandusky | 173 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | Ohio | affirmed |
| Godchaux Company v. Estopinal | 179 (1919) | McReynolds | none | none | La. | dismissed |
| Branson v. Bush | 182 (1919) | Clarke | none | none | 8th Cir. | reversed |
| City of Winchester v. Winchester Water Works Company | 192 (1920) | Day | none | none | E.D. Ky. | affirmed |
| St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company v. United States | 198 (1920) | Day | none | McReynolds | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| United States v. Standard Brewery, Inc. | 210 (1920) | Day | none | none | multiple | affirmed |
| United States v. Poland | 221 (1920) | VanDevanter | none | none | 9th Cir. | reversed |
| Producers Transportation Company v. Railroad Commission of California | 228 (1920) | VanDevanter | none | none | Cal. | affirmed |
| Hayes v. Port of Seattle | 233 (1920) | Pitney | none | none | W.D. Wash. | affirmed |
| Schall v. Camors | 239 (1920) | Pitney | none | none | 5th Cir. | affirmed |
| Morganthaler Linotype Company v. Davis | 256 (1920) | McReynolds | none | none | Mo. Ct. App. | dismissed |
| Southern Pacific Company v. Industrial Accident Commission of California | 259 (1920) | McReynolds | none | none | Cal. | reversed |
| Ruppert v. Caffey | 264 (1920) | Brandeis | none | McReynolds | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Duhne v. New Jersey | 311 (1920) | White | none | none | original | dismissed |
| Western Union Telephone Company v. Boegli | 315 (1920) | White | none | none | Ind. | reversed |
| Birge-Forbes Company v. Heye | 317 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | 5th Cir. | affirmed |
| Mail Divisor Cases | 326 (1920) | Holmes | Pitney | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Maryland Casualty Company v. United States | 342 (1920) | Clarke | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Eastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Company, Ltd. v. United States | 355 (1920) | Clarke | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Napa Valley Electric Company v. Railroad Commission of California | 366 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | N.D. Cal. | affirmed |
| Chipman, Ltd. v. Thomas B. Jeffrey Company | 373 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | S.D.N.Y. | affirmed |
| Stroud v. United States | 380 (1920) | Day | none | none | D. Kan. | rehearing denied |
| Rex v. United States | 382 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Silverthorne Lumber Company v. United States | 385 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | W.D.N.Y. | reversed |
| Henry v. United States | 393 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | Ct. Cl. | affirmed |
| Brooks-Scanlon Company v. Railroad Commission of Louisiana | 396 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | La. | reversed |
| Board of Public Utility Commissioners of the Philippines v. Ynchausti and Company | 401 (1920) | White | none | none | Phil. | reversed |
| United States v. Thompson | 407 (1920) | White | none | none | W.D. Pa. | reversed |
| United States v. United States Steel Corporation | 417 (1920) | McKenna | none | Day | D.N.J. | affirmed |
| Schaefer v. United States | 466 (1920) | McKenna | Brandeis | Brandeis | E.D. Pa. | multiple |
| Carbon Steel Company v. Lewellyn | 501 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | 3d Cir. | affirmed |
| Worth Brothers Company v. Lederer | 507 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | 3d Cir. | affirmed |
| Forged Steel Wheel Company v. Lewellyn | 511 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | 3d Cir. | affirmed |
| Dunbar v. City of New York | 516 (1920) | McKenna | none | none | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | affirmed |
| The South Coast | 519 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | 9th Cir. | affirmed |
| Bates v. Dresser | 524 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | 1st Cir. | affirmed |
| Fort Smith Lumber Company v. Arkansas ex rel. Arbuckle | 532 (1920) | Holmes | none | none | Ark. | affirmed |