Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-07
MAJOR DECISIONS
!. OF SUPREME COURT
Many important Cases Are
Disposed Of During
Past Year.
BY GREGORY RANKIN.
Director, Legal Research Service.

Director. Lsgal Research Service.
During the past year the Supreme
Court Of the United States disposed
Of q large number o. very important
cases.
The most important decisions from
the standpoint Of general public inter.
est were those rendered in tho oil
leases. The court held February 2s)
that the Elk Hills oil leases given to
Doheny were corruptly obtained, and
later In the year October 10y 1t held
that the Teapot Dome lease to Sin.
clair was fraudulent and void. In no
uncertain terms the court character.
lied former Secretary Fall as a faith.
less public ofiicer. Closely related
was the decision in the cose of Mally
8. Daugherty January ~. in which
the Supreme Court upheld the right
of the Senate to subpoena witnesses
and require the production Of books
and documents in aid of its investi.
cation OF the Department of Justice,
and held that Daugherty was pun.
ishable for contempt for refusing to
appear and testify.
Important I. C. c. Cases.
A number Of cases involving the
powers OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission were decided by the court.
In the Los Angeles & Salt Lake
Railroad Co. case. It was held. Febru.
ary q, that the valuation orders OF
the commission are not subject to
judicial review. The question was
again brought up In the case of Kan.
sas City Southern Railroad. but the
court adhered to It's previous deci.
sion. November 20.
In the Assigned Car cases. the court
upheld, February 20, the power of the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
prohibit any carrier from placing
than that mines ratable share of all
cars available for use In its district.
1t also upheld, March 81. the com.
missions order. in the Chicago, r. I.
& Pacific Railway Co. case. requiring
carriers to fix through rail and wa.
ter rates not exceeding all.rail rates
between the same points.
In the case Of News Syndicate Co.
VS.. New York Central Railroad Co.,
the court held. November 81. that the
Interstate Commerce Commission had
power to order reparation to be made
to a shipper upon a complaint made
against q United States railroad in a
case involving the reasona bleness Of
a through rate from q point in Can.
ada to one In the United States.
where the tariff was published jointly
by the domestic railroad and a Cana.
dian road.
Trade Regulation.
A number of important cases in.
VOWED the application OF the anti.
trust laws. In the Trenton Potteries
Co. case 1t was held, February Il. that
uniform price fixing by those control.
ling a trade or business In Interstate
IL a violation OF the Sher.
man act, irrespective OF whether the
prices fixed are or are not reasonable.
Similarly. the court upheld. January 3.
an order Of the Federal Trade Com.
mission that the Pacific States Paper
Trade Association cease and desist
from using price lists fixed by agree.
ment among Its members.
The Government was unsuccessful
In two important antitrust cases. The
court held. June 6, that the consent
decree entered against the Interna.
tionai Harvester Co. In 1918 did not
require the company to restore the
competitive conditions which existed
prior 10 its formation. or to divide II.
self into number OF separate and dis.
ttnct corporations. 1t also held, May
il, that the Federal Trade Commission
was without authority TO require the
Eastman Kodak Co. to divest itself of
certain labora tories Ii acquired prior
to the commissions action,
The Eastman Kodak CO., however,
lost In another antitrust case. Feb
ruary FL the Southern Photo Mate.
rails Go. recovered triple damages
from the Eastman Co.. because the
latter refused TO sell Photographic ma.
teriais to the Southern Co. at regular
dealers discounts. II was held that
this refusal 10 sell was In further.
ance Of the company's purpose to mo.
nopollxe the industry.
A case OF noteworthy importance
was that OF the Federal Trade Com.
mission va. Claire Furnace Co., In
which the court held. April Is. that the
commission could not be enioined
from requiring information from cor.
poratfons. since tho validity Of the
dema nds may be con.
tested IL and when the Attorney Gen.
erai authorizes an action 10 be
order.
Rules on Authority.
The effectiveness OF the Federal
Trade Commissions orders In the Dis.
frlct OF Columbia was In doubt. be.
cause although the law made unfair
methods of competition IN the District
II did not designate which
court had the power to enforce or
set aside the commissions orders,
Inc supreme Court held. April 10. that
sucn power vested In the Court OF Ap.
peais OF the District OF Columbia.
Ihe constitutionality of the pro.
vision IN the Federal Trade Commits.
sion act that the commissions find.
mony. shall DO conclusive. was cues.
toned by tho Arkansa. Wholesale
l.rocers' Association. but the court de.
cHned 70 pass on the question DC.
The application OF tho Federal anti.
trust laws 10 the activities OF labor
unions became n matter Of far.reach.
ln. Importance since the decision OF
Inc court In the casa OF Bedford Cut
stone Go. W. J0urneymen Stone Cut.
ler.' Association. April II. The court
neId that the general strike order of
ne stone Cutters Union was an un.
Tue and unreasonable restraint OF In.
lefstate commerce and ordered that
an injunction he issued against the
union and its officers. This decision
had ttn immediate effect when the Su.
pfeMe Court declined October III 10
determine the validity Of labor injuno.
lions In three cases. The most impor.
liant at these was the case Of the
United Mine Workers against some IL
coal corporations Of West Virginia.