Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/202/132/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 04:34:49+00:00

Document:
The first question is, of course, one of jurisdiction. Final orders of the circuit court of appeals may of right be brought to this Court only where the matter in dispute exceeds in value $1,000. As there is no amount in controversy, the appeal was unauthorized, and must be dismissed. Lau Ow Bew v. United States, 144 U. S. 47, 144 U. S. 58. But, by certiorari, the judgment of the court of appeals is properly before us. In re Chetwood, 165 U. S. 443, 165 U. S. 462.
"Under this provision, the court might doubtless issue writs of certiorari, in proper cases. But the writ of certiorari has not been issued as freely by this Court as by the Court of Queen's bench, in England. Ex Parte Vallandingham, 1 Wall. 243, 68 U. S. 249. It was never issued to bring up from an inferior court of the United States for trial a case within the exclusive jurisdiction of a higher court. Fowler v. Lindsey, 3 Dall. 411, 3 U. S. 413; Patterson v. United States, 2 Wheat. 221, 15 U. S. 225-226; Ex Parte Hitz, 111 U. S. 766. It was used by this Court as an auxiliary process only, to supply imperfections in the record of a case already before it, and not, like a writ of error, to review the judgment of an inferior court. Barton v. Petit, 7 Cranch 288; Ex Parte Gordon, 1 Black 503; United States v. Adams, 9 Wall. 661; United States v. Young, 94 U. S. 258; Luxton v. North River Bridge Co., 147 U. S. 337, 147 U. S. 341."
And in In re Tampa Suburban Railroad Company, 168 U. S. 583, it was held that "a writ of certiorari, such as is asked for in this case, will be refused when there is a plain and adequate remedy, by appeal or otherwise."
in Riggins v. United States, 199 U. S. 547. To that and the cases cited in the opinion we refer, saying that in the case at bar there is no special reason why the ordinary procedure should not obtain. It will be borne in mind that the act with which the respondent was charged was not done under or by virtue of the authority of the Constitution or laws of the United States, and therefore his prompt release is not necessary in order to uphold the national authority. It was not an act to be commended, and the only question is whether its punishment was within the jurisdiction of the federal courts, and that question, under the circumstances, should have been settled in the ordinary way.

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