Territory
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 302 U.S. 253 - Puerto Rico v. Shell Co. · 1937Most cited · 765 citing opinions
Sherman Act § 3 · construing 15 U.S.C. § 1 · Sherman Antitrust Act
the word 'territory' was used in its most comprehensive sense, as embracing all organized territories, whether incorporated into the United States or not, including Puerto Rico
How the Supreme Court has restated “Territory”
Each Supreme Court definition of “Territory,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Territory”
Court decisions citing the 3 opinions that defined “Territory” — 1,207 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 3 definitions, chronological · 1937–1972
Territory' is not a word of art. The characteristics of the transportation service involved as well as the geographical area serviced are relevant to the territorial scope of the operations which may be authorized under the 'grandfather clause'.
the word 'territory' was used in its most comprehensive sense, as embracing all organized territories, whether incorporated into the United States or not; Congress intended to include all Territories to which its powers might extend, organized and unorganized alike
Sherman Act § 3 · construing 15 U.S.C. § 1 · Sherman Antitrust Act