United States Reports
606 volumes · 104,521 opinions
4,420 opinions in United States Reports with a Wikipedia-sourced synopsis — the cases notable enough that someone wrote an encyclopedia article about them.
- Roth v. United States (1957)Overruled (1973)354 U.S. 476
Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957), along with its companion case Alberts v. California, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which redefined the constitutional test for determining what constitutes obscene material unprotected by the First Amendment. The Court, in an opinion by Justice William J. Brennan Jr. created a test to determine what constituted obscene material: Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the material appeals to a prurient interest in sex, and whether the material was utterly without redeeming social value. Although the Court upheld Roth’s conviction and allowed some obscenity prosecutions, it drastically loosened obscenity laws.
Overruled by Miller v. California (1973) - Wilson v. Girard (1957)354 U.S. 524
Wilson v. Girard, 354 U.S. 524 (1957), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court refused to stop the executive branch from handing United States Army soldier William S. Girard over to Japanese authorities for trial. Girard was accused of killing a Japanese woman while assigned to the U.S. Army in Japan, precipitating a major international incident remembered as the "Girard incident".
- Guss v. Utah Labor Relations Board (1957)353 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 353 of the United States Reports:
- National Labor Relations Board v. Truck Drivers Local Union No. 449 (1957)353 U.S. 87
NLRB v. Truck Drivers Local 449 (Buffalo Linen Supply Co.), 353 U.S. 87 (1957), is an 8-0 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held that a temporary lockout by a multi-employer bargaining group threatened by a whipsaw strike was lawful under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), as amended by the Taft-Hartley Act.
- Jencks v. United States (1957)353 U.S. 657
Jencks v. United States, 353 U.S. 657 (1957), is a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the federal government must produce documents relied upon by government witnesses in federal criminal proceedings.
- Butler v. Michigan (1957)Held state or territorial law unconstitutional352 U.S. 380
Butler v. Michigan, 352 U.S. 380 (1957), was a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the court held that laws criminalizing the sale of non-obscene literature to adults based on its perceived unsuitability for children were unconstitutional on the grounds of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Felix Frankfurter's majority opinion in the case has often been cited for its use of the "burn the house to roast the pig" quip. Though overshadowed by other landmark free speech decisions from the Warren Court, Butler v. Michigan has been described by contemporary scholars as a "key free speech victory" and the decision is considered to mark the end of harm to youth as a rationale for official censorship and regulation of printed matter.
- Breithaupt v. Abram (1957)352 U.S. 432
Breithaupt v. Abram, 352 U.S. 432 (1957), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that involuntary blood samples, taken by a skilled technician to determine intoxication, do not violate substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This case was only the second time the Court considered whether police could forcibly enter inside a suspect's body to extract evidence. Writing for a 6–3 majority, Justice Tom C. Clark argued that blood tests were necessary as a matter of public policy to ensure traffic safety on roads and highways, and that "modern community living requires modern scientific methods of crime detection." Chief Justice Earl Warren and Justice William O.
- Radovich v. National Football League (1957)352 U.S. 445
Radovich v. National Football League (NFL), 352 U.S. 445 (1957), is a U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that professional football, unlike professional baseball, was subject to antitrust laws. It was the third of three such cases heard by the Court in the 1950s involving the antitrust status of professional sports.
- Mesarosh v. United States (1956)352 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 352 of the United States Reports:
- Squire v. Capoeman (1956)351 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 351 of the United States Reports:
- Griffin v. People of the State of Illinois (1956)Held state or territorial law unconstitutional351 U.S. 12
Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12 (1956), was a case in which United States Supreme Court held that a criminal defendant may not be denied the right to appeal by inability to pay for a trial transcript.
- Communist Party of United States v. Subversive Activities Control Bd. (1956)351 U.S. 115
Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board, 351 U.S. 115 (1956) and 367 U.S. 1 (1961), was a federal court case in the United States involving the compelled registration of the Communist Party of the United States, under a statute requiring that all organizations determined to be directed or controlled by the "world Communist movement" publicly disclose detailed information as to their officers, funds, and membership.
- Commissioner v. LoBue (1956)351 U.S. 243
Commissioner v. LoBue, 351 U.S. 243 (1956), was a case before the United States Supreme Court in which the court held that the transfer of stock to the employee for less than its value was taxable compensation, notwithstanding the employer's purpose to confer a proprietary interest on the employee.
- Kinsella v. Krueger (1956)351 U.S. 470
Kinsella v. Krueger, 351 U.S. 470 (1956), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the Constitution supersedes international treaties ratified by the United States Senate. According to the decision, the Court recognized the supremacy of the Constitution over a treaty, although the case itself was with regard to an executive agreement, not a "treaty" in the U.S. legal sense, and the agreement itself has never been ruled unconstitutional.
- De Sylva v. Ballentine (1956)351 U.S. 570
De Sylva v. Ballentine, 351 U.S. 570 (1956), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held after the death of an author, the widow and children are eligible to renew copyright, equally as a class. Additionally, conditional on state laws, illegitimate children are also eligible for a share of the copyright.
- Mastro Plastics Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board (1956)350 U.S. 270
Mastro Plastics Corporation v. National Labor Relations Board, 350 U.S. 270 (1956), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that, when an employer has committed an unfair labor practice, strikes in protest of that practice are protected by the National Labor Relations Act even when the collective bargaining agreement includes a no-strike clause.
- United Gas Pipe Line Company v. Mobile Gas Service Corporation (1956)350 U.S. 332
United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. Mobile Gas Service Corp., 350 U.S. 332 (1956), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court interpreted the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (NGA) as not allowing a gas supply company to unilaterally modify rates in a natural gas supply contract by filing a new rate schedule with the Federal Power Commission (FPC). Mobile Gas and its companion case Federal Power Commission v. Sierra Pacific Power Co. established the Mobile-Sierra presumption which holds that an electricity or natural gas supply rate established resulting from a freely negotiated contract is presumed to be "just and reasonable" and thus acceptable under the NGA or Federal Power Act (FPA).
- Federal Power Commission v. Sierra Pacific Power Co. (1956)350 U.S. 348
Federal Power Commission v. Sierra Pacific Power Co., 350 U.S. 348 (1956), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court interpreted the Federal Power Act (FPA) as permitting the Federal Power Commission (FPC) to modify a rate specified in a contract between an electric utility and distribution company only upon a finding that the contract rate is unlawful because it adversely affects the public interest. Sierra Pacific and its companion case United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. Mobile Gas Service Corp. established the Mobile-Sierra doctrine, which holds that an electricity or natural gas supply rate established resulting from a freely negotiated contract is presumed to be "just and reasonable" and thus acceptable under the FPA or Natural Gas Act (NGA).
- Ullmann v. United States (1956)350 U.S. 422
Ullmann v. United States, 350 U.S. 422 (1956), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that a person given immunity from prosecution loses their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, thus upholding the Constitutionality of the Immunity Act of 1954.
- Pennsylvania v. Nelson (1956)350 U.S. 497
Pennsylvania v. Nelson, 350 U.S. 497 (1956), was a United States Supreme Court case that established a precedent for the preemption of United States Federal law over State laws. The case was argued November 15–16, 1955 and the decision was handed down April 2, 1956. The State of Pennsylvania tried to convict a man of sedition under a state law, but a Federal law existed on the same subject. The Court ruled that the Federal law, the Smith Act, overruled the state law, the Pennsylvania Sedition Act, even though the state law was created before the federal law. Nelson, who was convicted under the state law, was therefore mistried.
- Lucy v. Adams (1955)350 U.S. 1
Lucy v. Adams, 350 U.S. 1 (1955), was a U.S. Supreme Court case that successfully established the right of all citizens to be accepted as students at the University of Alabama.
- United States Ex Rel. Toth v. Quarles (1955)Held federal statute unconstitutional350 U.S. 11
United States ex rel. Toth v. Quarles, 350 U.S. 11 (1955), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that expanded the rights of citizens to civilian trials, holding that an ex-serviceman cannot be court-martialed for crimes alleged during his military service.
- Corn Products Refining Company v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (1955)350 U.S. 46
Corn Products Refining Company v. Commissioner, 350 U.S. 46 (1955), is a United States Supreme Court decision that helps taxpayers classify whether or not the disposition of a commodity futures contract by a business of raw materials as part of its hedging of business risk is an ordinary or capital gain or loss for income tax purposes.
- Holmes v. City of Atlanta (1955)350 U.S. 879
Holmes v. Atlanta, 350 U.S. 879 (1955), was a per curiam order by the Supreme Court of the United States that summarily reversed an order by the Georgia Court of Appeals that permitted the city of Atlanta to allocate a municipal golf course to different races on different days. The case was remanded to the district court with directions to enter a decree in conformity with Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City v. Dawson.
- Granville-Smith v. Granville-Smith (1955)349 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 349 of the United States Reports:
- Watson v. Employers Liability Assurance Corp. (1955)348 U.S. 66
Watson v. Employers Liability Assurance Corp., 348 U.S. 66 (1954), was a conflict of laws case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.
- United States v. International Boxing Club of New York, Inc. (1955)348 U.S. 236
United States v. International Boxing Club of New York, 348 U.S. 236 (1955), often referred to as International Boxing Club or just International Boxing, was an antitrust decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. By a 7–2 margin, the justices ruled that the exemption it had previously upheld for Major League Baseball was peculiar and unique to that sport and that it did not apply to boxing. Since it met the definition of interstate commerce, the government could therefore proceed with a trial to prove IBCNY and the other defendants had conspired to monopolize the market for championship boxing in the United States. It was the first time another sport had argued it was covered by the same exemption as baseball by virtue of being a professional sport.
- Tee-Hit-Ton Indians v. United States (1955)348 U.S. 272
Tee-Hit-Ton v. United States, 348 U.S. 272 (1955), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that a Tribal nation's right of occupancy (or "aboriginal title") may be eliminated by the United States without any compensation. Breaking with earlier cases, the court said the Natives' right of occupancy was lesser than a vested property right that the fee simple owner of the land would have within the American property system.
- Wilburn Boat Company v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company (1955)348 U.S. 310
Wilburn Boat Company v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, 348 U.S. 310 (1955), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that state law, rather than federal admiralty law, should govern marine insurance contracts.
- Witmer v. United States (1955)348 U.S. 375
Witmer v. United States, 348 U.S. 375 (1955), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a draft board's rejection of Jehovah's Witness claim of conscientious objector status as lacking sincerity.
- Sicurella v. United States (1955)348 U.S. 385
Sicurella v. United States, 348 U.S. 385 (1955), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that willingness to fight in "theocratic" wars does not disqualify a Jehovah's Witness who would otherwise be eligible for exemption as a conscientious objector.
- Simmons v. United States (1955)348 U.S. 397
Simmons v. United States, 348 U.S. 397 (1955), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a Jehovah's Witness was denied fair hearing because of failure to supply him with materials in his record.
- Gonzales v. United States (1955)348 U.S. 407
Gonzales v. United States, 348 U.S. 407 (1955), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that a Jehovah's Witness was denied fair hearing because of failure to supply him with materials in his record.
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Glenshaw Glass Company (1955)348 U.S. 426
Commissioner v. Glenshaw Glass Co., 348 U.S. 426 (1955), was an important income tax case before the United States Supreme Court. The Court held as follows: Congress, in enacting income taxation statutes that comprehend "gains or profits and income derived from any source whatever," intended to tax all gain except that which was specifically exempted. Income is not limited to "the gain derived from capital, from labor, or from both combined." Although the Court used this characterization in Eisner v.
- Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc. (1955)348 U.S. 483
Williamson v. Lee Optical Co., 348 U.S. 483 (1955), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that state laws regulating business are subject to only rational basis review and that the Court need not contemplate all possible reasons for legislation.
- In Re Disbarment of Isserman (1954)Altered precedent348 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 348 of the United States Reports:
- Berman v. Parker (1954)348 U.S. 26
Berman v. Parker, 348 U.S. 26 (1954), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that interpreted the Takings Clause ("nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation") of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court voted 8–0 to hold that private property could be taken for a public purpose with just compensation. The case laid the foundation for the Court's later important public use cases, Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, 467 U.S. 229 (1984) and Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005). Critics of recent occurrences of eminent domain uses trace what they view as property rights violations to this case.
- Pereira v. United States (1954)347 U.S. 1
Pereira v. United States, 347 U.S. 1 (1954), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the word "knowingly" in the federal mail fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1341, should extend to all reasonably foreseeable consequences, even ones not specifically intended.
- Mazer v. Stein (1954)347 U.S. 201
Mazer v. Stein, 347 U.S. 201 (1954), was a copyright case decided by the United States Supreme Court. In an opinion written by Justice Stanley F. Reed, the Supreme Court held that the statuettes—male and female dancing figures made of semivitreous china—used as bases for fully equipped electric lamps were copyrightable, even though the lamp itself was a utilitarian mass-produced item.
- United States Accardi v. Shaughnessy (1954)347 U.S. 260
United States ex rel. Accardi v. Shaughnessy, 347 U.S. 260 (1954), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case, in administrative law, in which the Court held that administrative agencies in the Federal Government are obliged to follow their own regulations, policies and procedures. Under the Accardi doctrine, named after this case, federal agencies which do not follow their own regulations or procedures run the risk of having their actions invalidated if challenged in court. The Accardi doctrine was later strengthened in Service v. Dulles 354 US 363 (1957) and Vitarelli v. Seaton, 359 US 535 (1959) Due to a ruling in United States v. Fausto, the doctrine generally does not apply to Federal employment decisions that are covered by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.
- Miller Bros. v. Maryland (1954)Held state or territorial law unconstitutional347 U.S. 340
Miller Brothers Co. v. Maryland, 347 U.S. 340 (1954) was a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled 5-4 that a mail order reseller was not required to collect a use tax unless it had sufficient contact with the state.
- Hernandez v. Texas (1954)347 U.S. 475
Hernandez v. Texas, 347 U.S. 475 (1954), was a landmark case, "the first and only Mexican-American civil-rights case heard and decided by the United States Supreme Court during the post-World War II period." In a unanimous ruling, the court held that Mexican Americans and all other nationality groups in the United States have equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. This was the first case in which Mexican-American lawyers had appeared before the Supreme Court.
- Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka et al. (1954)Held state or territorial law unconstitutional347 U.S. 483
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, even if the segregated facilities are equal in quality. The decision partially overruled the Court's 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson, which had ruled that racial segregation laws were constitutional as long as the facilities for each race were equal, a doctrine that had come to be known as "separate but equal". The Court's unanimous decision in Brown and its related cases paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the civil rights movement, and it became a model for many future impact litigation cases.
Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) - Bolling v. Sharpe (1954)Held federal statute unconstitutional347 U.S. 497
Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497 (1954), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the Constitution prohibits segregated public schools in the District of Columbia. Originally argued on December 10–11, 1952, a year before Brown v. Board of Education, Bolling was reargued on December 8–9, 1953, and was unanimously decided on May 17, 1954, the same day as Brown. The Bolling decision was supplemented in 1955 with the second Brown opinion, which ordered desegregation "with all deliberate speed".
- United States v. Harriss (1954)347 U.S. 612
United States v. Harriss, 347 U.S. 612 (1954), was a U.S. Supreme Court case applied directly to the Regulation of Lobbying Act.
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Wisconsin (1954)347 U.S. 672
Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Wisconsin, 347 U.S. 672 (1954), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States holding that sale of natural gas at the wellhead was subject to regulation under the Natural Gas Act. Prior to this case, independent producers sold natural gas to interstate pipelines at unregulated prices with any subsequent sales for resale being regulated. The State of Wisconsin sought to close this regulatory loophole in order to keep consumer prices low. Natural gas producers argued that wellhead sales were exempt from federal regulation as "production and gathering." Below, the Federal Power Commission compiled an evidentiary record 10,000 pages long before deciding not to regulate wellhead sales.
- Garner v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local Union No. 776 (1954)346 U.S. 485
Garner v. Teamsters Local 776, 346 U.S. 485 (1953), is a US labor law case, concerning the scope of federal preemption against state law for labor rights.
- United State v. Morgan (1954)346 U.S. 502
United States v. Morgan, 346 U.S. 502 (1954), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court which provides the writ of coram nobis as the proper application to request federal post-conviction judicial review for those who have completed the conviction's incarceration in order to challenge the validity of a federal criminal conviction.
- United States v. Nugent (1953)346 U.S. 1
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 346 of the United States Reports:
- District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. (1953)346 U.S. 100
District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. Inc., 346 U.S. 100 (1953), is a United States Supreme Court case which began on April 30, 1953 over the validity of the local Washington Acts of 1872 and 1873. The Acts prohibited segregation in public places within the District. With the court's support, the legal ramifications of the 1872 and 1873 Acts could once again be enforced. The case transpired during growing racial tension in the nation's capital. Throughout Washington, the black community had grown tired of unfair treatment regarding housing, businesses, and education. But, change came soon enough through the courts.