Valvoline Oil Co. v. United States’s Empirical Analysis
308 U.S. 141 · 1939
Citation profile
10 federal appellate · 3 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 42 later decisions (15 by the Supreme Court) — most recently January 1984 · most notably Spiegel's Estate v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (1949), Federal Power Commission v. East Ohio Gas Co. (1950)
10 federal appellate · 3 state decisions
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.
Relationships
Applies 28 U.S.C. § 47
Relies on NLRB v. Fain-Blatt · Pipe Line Cases · Pennsylvania Co v. Public Utilities Commission of Ohio · Valvoline Oil Co. v. United States
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 42 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
““(1) That the provisions of this Act shall apply to common carriers engaged in— * * * * * “(b) The transportation of oil or other commodity, except water and except natural or artificial gas, by pipe line, * * * “(c) * * * from one .State * * * to any other State. *.**** “(3) The term ‘common carrier’ as used in this Act shall include all pipe-line companies; * * * and all persons, natural or artificial, engaged in such transportation or transmission as aforesaid as common carriers for hire. * * *» 41 Stat. 474 . “19a. That the commission shall, as hereinafter provided, investigate, ascertain, and report the value of all the property owned or used by every common carrier subject'to the provisions of this Act.” 37 Stat. 701 . 49 U.S.C.A. §§ 1 (1) (b, c), (3), 19a.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority““In the present Act there is a change of language but we perceive none in meaning. Speaking of the amendments of the Transportation Act of 1920 * * * which recast the Hepburn Amendment into the present form, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce reported that the section here under consideration ‘amends the first five paragraphs of section 1 of the Commerce Act, making minor corrections and classifying language in several respects, but making no important changes in policy.’ As now written the section brings railroads under the Act by means of the last clause of subsection (3) only. This clause is a conjunctive not a modifier. It does not affect the generality of the first clause as to pipe-line companies. “The appellant relies upon the Pipe Line Cases to show that the present act does not cover a pipe line transporting oil for its own refining purposes only. The discussion referred to is that concerning the Uncle Sam Oil Company. But that company’s pipe line was used for the ‘sole purpose of conducting oil from its own wells to its awn refinery.1 This was held not to be transportation under the Act. Here, however, it is the purchase from many sources and subsequent carriage that determine the applicability of the statute to Valvoline.” (Emphasis supplied.)”
2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“. “(l)The provisions of this chapter shall apply to common carriers engaged in— Hí * * * Hí “(b) The transportation of oil or other commodity, except water and except natural or artificial gas, by pipe line, or partly by pipe line and partly by railroad or by water; or “(c) * * * from one State * * * to any other State. * # * * * “(3) Definitions. The term ‘common carrier’ as used in this chapter shall include all pipe-line companies; telegraph, telephone, and cable companies operating by wire or wireless; express companies; sleeping-car companies; and all persons, natural or artificial, engaged in such transportation or transmission as aforesaid as common carriers for hire. * * * ” 49 U.S.C.A. § 19a: “(a) The commission shall, as hereinafter provided, investigate, ascertain, and report the value of all the property owned or used by every common carrier subject to the provisions of this chapter. * * * ifc * “(e) Every common carrier subject to the provisions of this chapter shall furnish to the commission or its agents from time to time and as the commission may require maps, profiles, contracts, reports of engineers, and any other documents, records, and papers, or copies of any or all of the same, in aid of such investigation and determination of the value of the property of said common carrier, * *”
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.