Today in Supreme Court History: January 15

Berry v. Davis, 242 U.S. 468 (decided January 15, 1917): An Iowa statute authorized vasectomies on “idiots, feeble-minded, drunkards, drug fiends, epileptics, syphilitics, moral and sexual perverts” and made it mandatory as to “criminals who have been twice convicted of a felony” (defendant here). Here the Court dismisses the case because the statute had been repealed (decision is written by Holmes, who would later author the hideous Buck v. Bell).

Iowa v. Illinois, 151 U.S. 238 (decided January 15, 1894): Court vacates holding as to boundary dispute because of procedural error in referring to special master (at issue was where on the Keokuk-Hamilton bridge the border was; the opinion says the boundary is the midpoint of the Mississippi, though current maps show it very close to the Iowa side, but that could be due to accretion since)

New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira, 586 U.S. — (decided January 15, 2019): it is for court, not arbitrator, to decide whether Federal Arbitration Act exception for interstate commerce employment contracts applies (here, trucker brought suit alleging unfair wage practices; Court holds that the exception applies, and denies the employer’s motion under the FAA to order arbitration) (Gorsuch, who wrote the opinion, is a good writer)

Caminetti v. United States, 242 U.S. 470 (decided January 15, 1917): upholds Constitutionality of White Slave Traffic Act of 1910 (that phrase sounds so quaint now) as affecting “interstate commerce” even if no pecuniary gain intended (man had transported woman across state lines to make her his “mistress and concubine”)

Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., 552 U.S. 148 (decided January 15, 2008): outside parties who colluded in sham transactions with corporation leading to illegal inflating of profits could not be joined as defendants in shareholders’ securities fraud suit against corporation under Securities and Exchange Act of 1934