Interstate Commerce Commission v. Cincinnati N O T P Ry Co’s Empirical Analysis
Citation profile
4 federal appellate · 7 district · 62 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 102 later decisions (12 by the Supreme Court) — most recently February 2026 · most notably Prentis v. Atlantic Coast Line Co. (1908), Siler v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad (1909)
4 federal appellate · 7 district · 62 state decisions — followed in 31 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Appellate journey
reviewedthe decision below (from Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals)
Relationships
Relies on Munn v. Illinois · Reagan v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. · Texas Ry Co v. Interstate Commerce Commission · Covington Turnpike Road Co v. Sandford · Interstate Commerce Commission v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 102 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““The question debated is whether it vested in the commission the power and the duty to fix rates, and the fact that this is a debatable question, and has been most strenuously and earnestly debated, is very persuasive that it did not. The grant of such a power is never to be implied. The power itself is so vast and comprehensive, so largely affecting the rights of carrier and shipper, as well as indirectly all commercial transactions, the language by which the power is given had been so often used and was so familiar to the legislative mind and is capable of such definite and exact statement, that no just rule of construction would tolerate a grant of such power by mere implication.’ ””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““It is one thing to inquire whether the rates' which have been charged and collected are reasonable, — that is a judicial act; but an entirely different thing to prescribe rates which shall be charged in the future, — that is a legislative act.””
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““It is charged with the general duty of inquiring as to the management of the business of railroad companies, and to keep itself informed as to the manner in which the same is conducted, and has the right to. compel complete and full information as to the manner in which such carriers are transacting their business. And with this knowledge it is charged with the duty of seeing that there is no violation of the long and short haul clause; that there is no discrimination between individual shippers, and that nothing is done, by rebate or any other device, to give preference to one as against another; that no undue preferences are given to one place or places, or individual or class of individuals, but that in all things that equality of right which is the great purpose of the interstate commerce act shall be secured to all shippers.” I. C. C. v. Railway Co., 167 U. S. 506 , 17 Sup. Ct. 896 , 42 L. Ed. 243 .”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.