Today in Supreme Court History: April 12

NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., 301 U.S. 1 (decided April 12, 1937): in an early demonstration of the “switch” of 1937, upholding Constitutionality of National Labor Relations Act (and actions of NLRB) (forcing major steel producer to bargain with union)

Associated Press v. NLRB, 301 U.S. 103 (decided April 12, 1937): another early “switch” case, holding that news gathering organization involved “interstate commerce” and subject NLRB jurisdiction

Texas v. White, 74 U.S. 700 (decided April 12, 1869): holding, mostly, that Texas is a state over which the Supreme Court has jurisdiction, and secondarily, that it had jurisdiction over suit to recover Texas bonds issued pre-Civil War (limited to its facts in Morgan v. U.S., 1885)

Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore City, 341 U.S. 56 (decided April 12, 1951): upholding state statute requiring candidates for public office to declare they are not subversives

Evansville & Bowling Green Packet Co. v. Chero Cola Bottling Co., 271 U.S. 19 (decided April 12, 1926): wharfboat (always tied to wharf, used as office, warehouse, etc., connected to city’s water, electric and telephone systems, never transports cargo) was not “vessel” within meaning of traditional rule limiting owner’s liability to value of ship plus cargo; therefore no admiralty jurisdiction for limitation of liability where plaintiff’s merchandise lost when wharfboat sank

Liberato v. Royer, 270 U.S. 535 (decided April 12, 1926): Italian parents could not recover compensation due deceased son upon whom they were dependent because Pennsylvania no-fault scheme expressly disqualified foreign parents from recovery; treaty with Italy extended only to right to bring suits alleging fault

People v. Wilson, 318 U.S. 688 (decided April 12, 1943): habeas remanded to state trial court because state’s highest court had changed the law in meantime (issue was whether to vacate conviction if guilty plea was obtained fraudulently, Lyons v. Goldstein, 290 N.Y. 19)

Texas & Pacific Ry. Co. v. Marcus, 237 U.S. 215 (decided April 12, 1915): Plaintiff fell when train jerked while she was crossing between cars; allegation was train should have given her notice that it was about to move.  Motion to dismiss her case should have been granted.

Greenleaf-Johnson Lumber Co. v. Garrison, 237 U.S. 251 (decided April 12, 1915): no “taking” when Congress established new harbor line for expanded Navy yard which destroyed wharves of private owners

Massachusetts v. New York, 271 U.S. 65 (decided April 12, 1926): Massachusetts claims land in western New York, citing a pre-Revolutionary War grant (you know, like the one that gave Connecticut part of what is now California, https://mieummedia.com/2019/ 04/10/that-time-connecticuts-borders-extended-to-the-pacific-ocean-explained/); Court holds that it had sold it in 1786 to Nathaniel Gorham (at the time the “president” of the Articles of Confederation Congress, who the next year chaired the formative Committee of the Whole weeks of the Constitutional Convention)

Bissonnette v. Lepage Bakeries, 601 U.S. 246 (decided April 12, 2024): Federal Arbitration Act exemption if engaged in interstate commerce applies even if not working in transportation industry (here, distributor of baked goods) (i.e., producer can’t use FAA to compel arbitration, must find some other argument)

Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners, 601 U.S. 257 (decided April 12, 2024): can’t sue for incomplete disclosure in statements relating to buying/selling securities (Rule 10b-5(b)) if omissions do not make the statements misleading (disclosed decline of fuel oil sales but omitted that it was due to international regulation making that grade of oil hard to sell)