Innkeeper
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 109 U.S. 3 - Civil Rights Cases · 1883Most cited · 1,572 citing opinions
the keeper of a common inn for the lodging and entertainment of travelers and passengers, their horses and attendants.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Innkeeper”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “Innkeeper” — 1,610 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1883–1910
An innkeeper is one who maintains a house for the entertainment of strangers, for a reasonable compensation. To secure this compensation he is given a lien upon the property of his guests within the inn. For this property he is under liability much like that of a common carrier. So long as he has room, he must receive all who may apply and are fit persons. He may not discriminate.