Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/225/477/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 02:55:29+00:00

Document:
To give this Court jurisdiction under § 709, Rev.Stat., it must appear upon the record, and not by certificate of the judge, that a right under the Constitution or laws of the United States was set up and denied. While such a certificate may make more certain the fact that the federal right was asserted and denied, it is insufficient to confer jurisdiction if the record itself does not show the fact. Louisville & Nashville R. Co. v. Smith, 204 U. S. 551.
The fact that a case in the state court asserts a claim based on a federal statute does not give this Court jurisdiction to review the judgment under § 709, Rev.Stat., if none of the exceptions are based on the refusal of the court to make a definite construction of the act as requested by the plaintiff in error.
Where the case comes up under § 709, Rev.Stat., this Court is not one of general review. It can reexamine only those rulings which denied federal rights specially set up.
It is the duty of counsel asking in the state court for a particular construction of a federal statute involved in the case to put the request in such definite terms that the record will show that it was a claim of federal right especially set up, as required by § 709, in order to give this Court jurisdiction.
The trial court is not under obligation to give special charges based on only a part of the evidence.
Where the only defense to an action for personal injuries by an employee of an interstate railway carrier is contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff in going into a car in violation of a rule requiring him to remain in another car, no construction of the provision of the Employers' Liability Act that the employee can only recover if injured while employed by the carrier is involved which is reviewable by this Court, unless the request is definitely set up as a federal right specially asserted and denied.
does not raise specific questions as to the construction of the Employers' Liability Act under which the action was brought, and give this Court jurisdiction to review under § 709, Rev.Stat.
Writ of error to review 152 N.C. 524 dismissed.
The facts, which involve the jurisdiction of this Court under § 709, Rev.Stat., to review the judgment of a state court in a case brought under the Federal Employers' Liability Act, are stated in the opinion.
"there was drawn into question a right, privilege, or immunity claimed by the railroad company under a statute of the United States, and the decision was against such right, privilege, or immunity so claimed and specially set up by said defendant,"
U.S. 180, 158 U. S. 183; Louisville & Nashville R. Co. v. Smith, 204 U. S. 551.
The federal question relied upon to sustain the writ of error to this Court concerns the construction and application of the Employers' liability Act of April 22, 1908, 35 Stat. 65, c. 149. Neither the complaint nor the answer makes any direct reference to that act; but the complaint did allege that the railroad company was operating a line of railroad between Portsmouth, Virginia, and Monroe, North Carolina, and that the plaintiff, while in its employment as baggage master and flagman upon a passenger train running between said points, was negligently injured by a head-on collision. This states a ground of action under that act, and it was so assumed by the trial court, as appears from that part of the charge relating to the effect of contributory negligence, as well as from some of the questions made in the supreme court of the state.
That the collision was due to negligence was conceded. The only defense which seems to have been made was that, under the rules of the company, the plaintiff was required to remain in the baggage car, but that he was hurt while in the express car, a place where it is claimed his duty did not call him, and therefore he was not injured while employed in the service of the company or engaged in any duty his employment devolved upon him.
"1. Was the plaintiff injured by the negligence of the defendant? Answer. Yes."
"2. Was the plaintiff's injury caused by his contributory negligence? Answer. No."
"3. What damage is the plaintiff entitled to recover? Answer. $30,000."
"1. That where an employee undertakes to do something not his duty to do, the master is not negligent, and if the jury shall find by the greater weight of the evidence that the plaintiff was acting outside of the scope of his employment when he was injured, they will find the first issue 'No.'"
"3. That, as the plaintiff admits that he was in the express car at the time of his injuries, and as the rules of the receivers of the defendant (of which he admits he had that notice) required him to remain in the baggage car when not engaged in flagging the train, the burden is upon the plaintiff to satisfy the jury by the greater weight of evidence that, when he went into said express car, and was injured, he was engaged in the discharge of the duties of his employment, and if he has failed to so satisfy the jury, you will answer the first issue 'No.'"
"4. That unless the jury shall find by the greater weight of the evidence that, when the plaintiff went into the express car, he understood that he was going there to discharge some of the duties of his employment, the defendant's negligence in causing the derailment of said car would not be the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injuries, and the jury will answer the first issue 'No.'"
go to discharge his duties as an employee of the defendant, the jury will answer the first issue 'No.'"
"If you find from the evidence that the plaintiff had no right to go into the express car; that he was not where he should have been, and you further find that he would not have been injured but for his going into the express car, and that his going into the express car was such an act on his part that a reasonably prudent man ordinarily would not have done under the circumstances of the situation, then he would be guilty of contributory negligence, and it would be your duty to answer the second issue 'Yes.' If you do not so find, it would be your duty to answer the second issue 'No.'"
Not one of the requests asks any definite construction of any part of the Employers' Liability Act, or, indeed, contains any reference whatever to the act.
plaintiff had gone to the express car either upon the call of the messenger or for social purpose, the plaintiff in either event going by direction or on invitation of his immediate superior, the conductor of the train. Any question as to whether his being in the express car at the moment of the collision either contributed to the collision of to the injury sustained, as well as any consideration of the question whether he was in any way negligent in being there, as being in a place of greater danger than if in the baggage car, was ignored.
The trial court was under no obligation to give special charges based upon but a part of the evidence -- charges which, in effect, took from the jury every question save the single fact that plaintiff was, when hurt, in the express car, and that there was a rule which required him to remain in the baggage car.
But the plaintiff in error now urges that it was entitled to have construed that provision of the Employers' Liability Act which requires that a plaintiff, to recover under it, must have been injured "while he was employed by such carrier in such commerce," and that the requests denied were applicable to the evidence which tended to show that he had ceased to be such an employee, because he was not, at the moment of the injury, engaged in the conduct of interstate commerce, or at the place where his duty required him to be. That the plaintiff was in the general employment of an interstate railroad, and at the time was the baggage master of one of its trains running from one state to another was shown by all the evidence. If his employment had been terminated, it was solely because he had momentarily gone into the adjacent express car. If he was injured while employed about something which it was not his duty to do, it was solely due to the fact that he had gone into that car either under direction or with the consent of his conductor.
"where any title, right, privilege, or immunity is claimed under the Constitution, or any treaty or statute . . . and the decision is against the title, right, privilege, or immunity specially set up or claimed, . . . may be reexamined and reversed. . . ."
"Where a party to litigation in a state court insists, by way of objection to or requests for instructions, upon a construction of a statute of the United States which will lead, or, on possible findings of fact from the evidence may lead, to a judgment in his favor, and his claim in this respect, being duly set up, is denied by the highest court of the state, then the question thus raised may be reviewed in this Court. The plain reason is that, in all such cases, he has claimed in the state court a right or immunity under a law of the United States, and it has been denied to him. Jurisdiction so clearly warranted by the Constitution and so explicitly conferred by the Act of Congress needs no justification. But it may not be out of place to say that in no other manner can a uniform construction of the statute laws of the United States be secured so that they shall have the same meaning and effect in all the states of the Union."
"The defendant, now plaintiff in error, objected to an erroneous construction of the safety appliance act, which warranted on the evidence a judgment against it, and insisted upon a correct construction of the act, which warranted on the evidence a judgment in its favor. The denials of its claims were decisions of federal questions reviewable here."
It was the obvious duty of counsel, if they wished any particular construction of the act, to put the request in such definite terms as that the attention of the court might be directed to the point, and the record here should show that the right now claimed was the right "specially set up" and denied by the court.
"It must appear on the face of the record that it was in fact raised; that the judicial mind of the court was exercised upon it, and then a decision against the right claimed under it."
alleged denial of some right, privilege, or immunity specially set up and claimed under the Constitution or authority of the United States, which it is alleged has been denied by the judgment of the state court. In such cases, it is thoroughly well settled that the record of the state court must disclose that the right so set up and claimed was expressly denied, or that such was the necessary effect, in law, of the judgment. Sayward v. Denny, 158 U. S. 180, 158 U. S. 183; Harding v. Illinois, 196 U. S. 78; Waters-Pierce Oil Co. v. Texas, 212 U. S. 86, 212 U. S. 97."
It is not easy to see why the mere going into the express car would be negligent unless the conditions were such as to be an act of imprudence which a reasonable man would not have done. But this we pass by as pertaining to the merits. In any event, the exception did not raise any specific question as to the proper construction of the act under which this action had been brought.
The jury was in explicit terms told that if they found the plaintiff guilty of contributory negligence, it would not bar a recovery, but that the damages assessed must be diminished in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the plaintiff. This was in pursuance of the statute. The jury specially found that the plaintiff had not been guilty of contributory negligence.
In conclusion, we are of opinion that neither the instructions denied nor that objected to are sufficient to raise any federal question which this Court may review.
The motion to dismiss the writ for want of jurisdiction is therefore granted.

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