List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 70


This is a list of cases reported in volume 70 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1865 and 1866.

Nominative reports

In 1874, the U.S. government created the United States Reports, and retroactively numbered older privately published case reports as part of the new series. As a result, cases appearing in volumes 1–90 of U.S. Reports have dual citation forms; one for the volume number of U.S. Reports, and one for the volume number of the reports named for the relevant reporter of decisions.

John William Wallace

Starting with the 66th volume of U.S. Reports, the Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States was John William Wallace. Wallace was Reporter of Decisions from 1863 to 1874, covering volumes 68 through 90 of United States Reports which correspond to volumes 1 through 23 of his Wallace's Reports. As such, the dual form of citation to, for example, Gilman v. City of Philadelphia is 70 U.S. 713.
Wallace's Reports were the final nominative reports for the US Supreme Court; starting with volume 91, cases were identified simply as " U.S. ".

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of 70 U.S. (3 Wall.)

The Supreme Court is established by 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 70 U.S. were decided the following nine justices were members of the Court:
PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
Tenure on Supreme Court
Salmon P. ChaseChief JusticeOhioRoger B. Taney


May 7, 1873
James Moore WayneAssociate JusticeGeorgiaWilliam Johnson


July 5, 1867
Samuel NelsonAssociate JusticeNew YorkSmith Thompson


November 28, 1872
Robert Cooper GrierAssociate JusticePennsylvaniaHenry Baldwin


January 31, 1870
Nathan CliffordAssociate JusticeMaineBenjamin Robbins Curtis


July 25, 1881
Noah Haynes SwayneAssociate JusticeOhioJohn McLean


January 24, 1881
Samuel Freeman MillerAssociate JusticeIowaPeter Vivian Daniel


October 13, 1890
David DavisAssociate JusticeIllinoisJohn Archibald Campbell


March 4, 1877
Stephen Johnson FieldAssociate JusticeCalifornianewly created seat


December 1, 1897

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.
Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.
Case NamePage and yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinionDissenting opinionLower courtDisposition
Lovejoy v. MurrayMillernonenoneC.C.D. Mass.affirmed
The PlymouthNelsonnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
The KimballFieldnonenoneC.C.D. Mass.affirmed
Castro v. United StatesChasenonenoneN.D. Cal.dismissed
The Binghamton BridgeDavisnoneGrierN.Y.reversed
The JosephineChasenonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
Sheboygan Company v. ParkerGriernonenoneC.C.D. Wis.affirmed
Sparrow v. StrongChasenonenoneNev.dismissal denied
Lewis v. CampauChasenonenoneMich.dismissed
York Company v. Central RailroadFieldnonenoneC.C.D. Ill.affirmed
Cliquot's ChampagneSwaynenonenoneN.D. Cal.affirmed
Fennerstein's ChampagneSwaynenonenoneN.D. Cal.affirmed
Walker v. Western Transportation CompanyMillernonenoneC.C.D. Ill.affirmed
The ThompsonDavisnonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
The LouisianaGriernonenoneC.C.D. Md.affirmed
Blackburn v. CrawfordsSwaynenoneCliffordC.C.D. Md.reversed
Blossom v. Milwaukee and Chicago Railroad CompanyCliffordnonenoneD. Wis.affirmed
Turnpike Company v. MarylandNelsonnonenoneMd.affirmed
The CorneliusMillernonenoneC.C.E.D. Pa.affirmed
The Convoy's WheatMillernonenoneN.D.N.Y.affirmed
The CheshireFieldnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.affirmed
Nebraska v. LockwoodSwaynenonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Neb.affirmed
City of Providence v. BabcockDavisnonenoneC.C.D.R.I.affirmed
Blanchard v. BrownDavisnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
Daniels v. Rock Island Railway CompanySwaynenonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.certification
Newell v. NortonGriernonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
The OttawaCliffordnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
City of Cincinnati v. MorganNelsonnonenonenot indicatedaffirmed
Havemeyer v. Iowa CountySwaynenonenoneC.C.D. Wis.certification
Merced Mining Company v. BoggsChasenonenoneCal.dismissed
The Granite StateGriernonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.reversed
Suffolk Manufacturing Company v. HaydenNelsonnonenonenot indicatedaffirmed
Cheang-Kee v. United StatesChasenonenoneC.C.D. Cal.affirmed
Thomson v. Lee CountyDavisnonenoneC.C.D. Iowareversed
Minnesota Mining Company v. National Mining CompanyGriernonenoneMich.affirmed
Buck v. ColbathMillernonenoneMinn.affirmed
McAndrews v. ThatcherCliffordnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.reversed
Brown v. TarkingtonNelsonnonenoneC.C.D. Ind.affirmed
McGuire v. Massachusetts IChasenonenoneMass. Super. Ct.motions denied
McGuire v. Massachusetts IINelsonnonenoneMass. Super. Ct.affirmed
Comstock v. CrawfordFieldnonenoneC.C.D. Wis.affirmed
United States v. HollidayMillernonenoneC.C.E.D. Mich.certification
De Sobry v. NicholsonSwaynenonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
Barrel v. Transportation CompanyChasenonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.dismissed
The Iron-Clad AtlantaFieldnonenoneD. Mass.affirmed
Peralta v. United StatesDavisnonenoneN.D. Cal.affirmed
United States v. CuttingGriernonenoneC.C.D.N.Y.reversed
United States v. FiskGriernonenoneC.C.D.N.Y.affirmed
Green v. Van BuskerkChasenonenoneN.Y. Sup. Ct.supersedeas granted
The Sally MageeSwaynenonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Simpson and Company v. DallDavisnonenonenot indicatedreversed
Beard v. FederyFieldnonenoneC.C.N.D. Cal.affirmed
Bank for Savings v. Collector of Internal RevenueCliffordnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.certification
The BermudaChasenonenoneE.D. Pa.affirmed
The HartChasenonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
Bollinger's ChampagneNelsonnonenoneC.C.D. Cal.reversed
The DouroChasenonenoneS.D.N.Y.affirmed
The MohawkMillernonenoneC.C.D. Mich.reversed
Van Allen v. New YorkNelsonChasenoneN.Y.reversed
The AdmiralCliffordnonenoneC.C.E.D. Pa.affirmed
The ReformCliffordnonenoneC.C.D. Va.reversed
Younge v. GuilbeauFieldnonenoneW.D. Tex.reversed
United States v. ScottMillernonenoneC.C.D. Ind.certification
United States v. MurphyMillernonenoneC.C.D. Wis.certification
Rogers v. BurlingtonCliffordnoneField, MillerC.C.D. Iowareversed
United States v. Circuit JudgesNelsonnoneFieldC.C.D. Cal.appeal on behalf of U.S.
Merriam v. Haasper curiamnonenone"Fed. Ct. Minn." dismissal denied
United States v. DashielCliffordnoneGriernot indicateddismissal denied
Minnesota Company v. ChamberlainChasenonenoneC.C.D. Wis.affirmed
Gilman v. City of PhiladelphiaSwaynenoneCliffordC.C.E.D. Pa.affirmed
Secrist v. GreenDavisnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
United States v. GomezCliffordnonenoneS.D. Cal.reversed
The HeraldChasenonenoneC.C.E.D. Pa.affirmed
Dehon v. BernalMillernonenoneN.D. Cal.affirmed