List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 233


This is a list of cases reported in volume 233 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1914.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 233 U.S.

The Supreme Court is established by Article Three of [the United States Constitution|Article III, Section 1] of the Constitution of the United States, which says: "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court...". The size of the Court is not specified; the Constitution leaves it to Congress to set the number of justices. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 Congress originally fixed the number of justices at six. Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices.
When the cases in volume 233 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:
PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
Tenure on Supreme Court
Edward Douglass WhiteChief JusticeLouisianaMelville Fuller


May 19, 1921
Joseph McKennaAssociate JusticeCaliforniaStephen Johnson Field


January 5, 1925
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.Associate JusticeMassachusettsHorace Gray


January 12, 1932
William R. DayAssociate JusticeOhioGeorge Shiras Jr.


November 13, 1922
Horace Harmon LurtonAssociate JusticeTennesseeRufus W. Peckham


July 12, 1914
Charles Evans HughesAssociate JusticeNew YorkDavid Josiah Brewer


June 10, 1916
Willis Van DevanterAssociate JusticeWyomingEdward Douglass White


June 2, 1937
Joseph Rucker LamarAssociate JusticeGeorgiaWilliam Henry Moody


January 2, 1916
Mahlon PitneyAssociate JusticeNew JerseyJohn Marshall Harlan


December 31, 1922

Citation style

Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 the federal court structure at the time comprised District Courts, which had general trial jurisdiction; Circuit Courts, which had mixed trial and appellate jurisdiction; and the United States Supreme Court, which had appellate jurisdiction over the federal District and Circuit courts—and for certain issues over state courts. The Supreme Court also had limited original jurisdiction. There were one or more federal District Courts and/or Circuit Courts in each state, territory, or other geographical region.
The Judiciary Act of 1891 created the United States Courts of Appeals and reassigned the jurisdiction of most routine appeals from the district and circuit courts to these appellate courts. The Act created nine new courts that were originally known as the "United States Circuit Courts of Appeals." The new courts had jurisdiction over most appeals of lower court decisions. The Supreme Court could review either legal issues that a court of appeals certified or decisions of court of appeals by writ of certiorari.
On January 1, 1912, the effective date of the Judicial Code of 1911, the old Circuit Courts were abolished, with their remaining trial court jurisdiction transferred to the U.S. District Courts.
Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.