Source: https://www.legalcrystal.com/case/94267/robertson-vs-railroad-labor-board
Timestamp: 2016-10-23 15:45:33
Document Index: 662192305

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 310', '§ 11', '§ 51', '§ 4', '§ 5', '§ 15', '§ 310', '§ 50', '§ 43', '§ 35', '§ 12', '§ 33', '§ 31', '§ 49', '§ 6', '§ 876', '§ 5', '§ 9', '§ 13', '§ 706', '§ 16', '§ 105', '§ 4', '§ 1308', '§ 6', '§ 1004', '§ 8', '§ 4284', '§ 2103', '§ 1042']

Robertson Vs Railroad Labor Board - Citation 94267 - Court Judgment | LegalCrystal
Save as PDF Add a Tag Add a Note Semantics Visualize Robertson Vs. Railroad Labor Board - Court Judgment	LegalCrystal Citationlegalcrystal.com/94267CourtUS Supreme CourtDecided OnJun-08-1925Case Number268 U.S. 619AppellantRobertsonRespondentRailroad Labor BoardExcerpt:.....v. railroad labor board - 268 u.s. 619 (1925)
1. section 310, par. b, of the transportation act, 1920, which provides that the railroad labor board, in case of failure to comply with its subpoena to testify, may invoke the aid of "any united states district court," and that such court may thereupon order the witness to comply with the subpoena, etc., is to be construed consistently with the general rule limiting jurisdiction of a district court
Robertson v. Railroad Labor Board - 268 U.S. 619 (1925)
(as distinguished from venue) to the district of which the defendant is an inhabitant or in which he can be found. P.
2. Hence, a district court, in a suit brought by the Board to compel attendance of a witness, does not acquire jurisdiction over his person by service of its process in another district even though that of the witness' residence.
Robertson contends that, by the term "any United States district court" Congress meant any such court "of competent jurisdiction," and that, under the applicable law, no district court is of competent jurisdiction to compel a defendant to obey its decree except that of the district of which he is an inhabitant or of one in which he is found. The Board contends that Congress intended by the phrase to confer not only liberty to invoke the aid of the court for any district, but power to compel the person named as defendant to litigate in the district selected by the Board, although he is not a citizen or inhabitant of it and is not found therein. The question presented is one of statutory construction. Congress clearly has the power to authorize a suit under a federal law to be brought in any inferior federal court. Congress has power, likewise, to provide that the process of every district court shall run into every part of the United States.
37 U. S. 328
98 U. S. 604
. But it has not done so either by any general law or in terms by § 310 of Transportation Act 1920. The precise question is whether it has impliedly done so by that provision.
jurisdiction over the defendant, as distinguished from venue, implies, among other things, either voluntary appearance by him or service of process upon him at a place where the officer serving it has authority to execute a writ of summons. Under the general provisions of law, a United States district court cannot issue process beyond the limits of the district.
Ex part Graham,
3 Wash. 456. And a defendant in a civil suit can be subjected to its jurisdiction
only by service within the district.
. Such was the general rule established by Judiciary Act Sept. 24, 1789, c. 20, § 11, 1 Stat. 73, 79, in accordance with the practice at the common law.
Piquet v. Swan,
5 Mason, 35, 39
And such has been the general rule ever since.
Munter v. Weil Corset Co.,
261 U. S. 276
261 U. S. 279
. No distinction has been drawn between the case where the plaintiff is the government and where he is a private citizen. [
"no civil suit shall be brought in any district court against any person by any original process or proceeding in any other district than that whereof he is an inhabitant. [
It is obvious that jurisdiction, in the sense of personal service within a district where suit has been brought, does not dispense with the necessity of proper venue. It is equally obvious that proper venue does not eliminate the requisite of personal jurisdiction over the defendant. The general provision as to venue contained in Judicial Code, § 51, has been departed from in various specific provisions which allow the plaintiff, in actions not local in their nature, some liberty in the selection of venue. [
] Unrestricted choice was conferred upon the Labor Board by the section of Transportation
Congress has also made a few clearly expressed and carefully guarded exceptions to the general rule of jurisdiction
stated above. In one instance, the Credit Mobilier Act March 3, 1873, c. 226, § 4, 17 Stat. 485, 509, it was provided that writs of subpoena to bring in parties defendant should run into any district. This broad power was to be exercised at the instance of the Attorney General in a single case in which, in order to give complete relief, it was necessary to join in one suit defendants living in different states.
. Under similar circumstances, but only for the period of three years, authority was granted generally by Act Sept.19, 1922, c. 345, 42 Stat. 849, to institute a civil suit by or on behalf of the United States, either in the district of the residence of one of the necessary defendants or in that in which the cause of action arose, and to serve the process upon a defendant in any district. The Sherman Act (Act July 2, 1890, c. 647, § 5, 26 Stat. 209, 210), provides that when "it shall appear to the court" in which a proceeding to restrain violations of the act is pending "that the ends of justice require that other parties should be brought before the court," it may cause them to be summoned although they reside in some other district. The Clayton Act (Act Oct. 15, 1914, c. 323, § 15, 38 Stat. 730, 737), contains a like provision. But no act has come to our attention in which such power has been conferred in a proceeding in a Circuit or district court [
] where a private citizen is
the sole defendant and where the plaintiff is at liberty to commence the suit in the district of which the defendant is an inhabitant or in which he can be found. [
appearing before the Board in any designated place of hearing was thus one contingency for which it was necessary to make provision. Congress also granted to the Labor Board in explicit language the broad power of compelling a person to come from any place in the United States to any designated place of hearing to furnish evidence. [
] The refusal of such person, who might be in any district in the United States, to comply with such a subpoena was obviously a second contingency to be provided for. Unrestricted liberty of venue in invoking the aid of a district court, referred to before, was clearly essential to the complete exercise of the Board's powers and the effective performance of its functions. Moreover, this unrestricted choice cannot subject to undue hardship any defendant actually found within the district in which the suit is brought. But no reason is suggested why Congress should have wished to compel every person summoned either to obey the Board's administrative order without question or to litigate his right to refuse to do so in such district, however remote from his home or temporary residence, as the Board might select. The Interstate Commerce Commission, which, throughout 38 years, has dealt in many different ways with most of the railroads of the United States, has never exercised, or asserted, or sought to secure for itself such broad powers.
We are of opinion that, by the phrase "any district court of the United States," Congress meant any such court "of competent jurisdiction." The phrase "any court" is frequently used in the federal statutes, and has been interpreted under similar circumstances as meaning "any court of competent jurisdiction." [
] By the general rule, the jurisdiction of a district court
has been limited to the district of which the defendant is an inhabitant or in which he can be found. It would be an extraordinary thing if, while guarding so carefully all departure from the general rule, Congress had conferred the exceptional power here invoked upon a board whose functions are purely advisory (
Pennsylvania R. Co. System Federation No. 90 v. Pennsylvania R. Co.,
), and which enters the district court not to enforce a substantive right, but in an auxiliary proceeding to secure evidence from one who may be a stranger to the matter with which the Board is dealing. We think it has made no such extension by § 310 of Transportation Act 1920. It is not lightly to be assumed that Congress intended to depart from a long established policy.
In re East River Towing Co.,
266 U. S. 367
98 U. S. 601
United States v. Crawford,
47 F. 561.
See Galveston, etc., Ry. Co. v. Gonzales,
Male v. Atchison, etc., Ry. Co.,
Compare In re Hohorst,
167 U. S. 178
167 U. S. 182
Barrow S.S. Co. v. Kane,
. The rule applies even where it may result in barring the jurisdiction of every federal court because all the defendants are indispensable parties.
17 How. 130,
Swan Land & Cattle Co. v. Frank,
148 U. S. 603
21 How. 489;
; Judicial Code, §§ 50, 52.
Judicial Code, §§ 43, 44, 45, 48; Act March 4, 1909, c. 320, § 35, 35 Stat. 1075, 1084; Act Oct. 15, 1914, c. 323, § 12, 38 Stat. 730, 736; Act June 5, 1920, c. 250, § 33, 41 Stat. 988, 1007; Act Sept. 7, 1916, c. 451, § 31, 39 Stat. 728, 738.
Even the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court is subject to the territorial limitation.
91 U. S. 517
. Although the adjudication in one district brings the property of the bankrupt wherever situated into custodia legis (
Lazarus v. Prentice,
234 U. S. 263
), that court cannot issue an order upon a person in another district, not a party to the proceeding, to deliver it up.
See Acme Harvester Co. v. Beekman Lumber Co.,
222 U. S. 311
In re Geller,
216 F. 558;
Progressive Building & Loan Co. v. Hall,
220 F. 45;
In re United States Chrysotile Asbestos Co.,
253 F. 294. Ancillary proceedings are brought in the other district.
Babbit v. Dutcher,
. Resort is likewise had to ancillary proceedings to secure the evidence of a person living in another district.
The commerce Court created by Act of June 18, 1910, c. 309, 36 Stat. 539, could issue process through the United States. P. 541. Upon its repeal by Act Oct. 22, 1913, c. 32, 38 Stat. 208, 219, 220, it was provided that the process of the applicable district court might "run, be served, and be returnable anywhere in the United States," but the venue of suits in the district courts was narrowly limited.
See Illinois Central R. Co. v. Public Utilities Comm'n,
249 U. S. 563
263 U. S. 528
263 U. S. 535
Compare Vicksburg, etc., Ry. Co. v. Anderson-Tully Co.,
256 U. S. 408
Graustein v. Rutland R. Co.,
256 F. 409.
Under Materialmen's Act Aug. 13, 1894, c. 280, 28 Stat. 278, as amended by Act Feb. 24, 1905, c. 778, 33 Stat. 811, the action on the bond in the name of the United States must be brought in the district in which the contract was to be performed. This Court has held that jurisdiction of the persons of the defendants may be secured by service of process upon them in whatever district they may be found.
222 U. S. 203
suits by a national bank against the Comptroller of the Currency. Judicial Code, § 49;
252 U. S. 509
Act March 2, 1793, c. 22, § 6, 1 Stat. 333, 335; Rev.Stat. § 876, as amended by Act Sept.19, 1922, c. 344, 42 Stat. 848; also Act Feb. 10, 1891, c. 128, 26 Stat. 743; Act July 15, 1913, c. 6, § 5, 38 Stat. 103, 106; Act Sept. 26, 1914, c. 311, § 9, 38 Stat. 717, 722; Act Oct. 15, 1914, c. 323, § 13, 38 Stat. 730, 736; Act Sept. 8, 1916, c. 463, § 706, 39 Stat. 756, 797; Act Feb. 5, 1917, c. 29, § 16, 39 Stat. 874, 886; Act Oct. 6, 1917, c. 105, 40 Stat. 398, 399; Act Oct. 22, 1919, c. 80, § 105, 41 Stat. 297, 300; Act June 10, 1920, c. 285, § 4(g), 41 Stat. 1063, 1067; Act Nov. 23, 1921, c. 136, § 1308, 42 Stat. 227, 310; Act Sept. 21, 1922, c. 369, § 6(b), 42 Stat. 998, 1002; Act June 2, 1924, c. 234, § 1004, 43 Stat. 253, 340; Act June 7, 1924, c. 320, § 8, 43 Stat. 607, 609.
Rev.Stat. § 4284;
Ex parte Slayton,
105 U. S. 451
In re Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Co.,
223 F. 185; Rev.Stat. § 2103;
Rev.Stat. § 1042;
11 App.D.C. 500, 504, 507. The phrase has been used in other statutes in conferring the right to invoke judicial aid in compelling attendance as a witness.