List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 86


This is a list of cases reported in volume 86 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1873 and 1874.

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, Coit v. Robinson is 86 U.S. 274.
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 86 U.S. (19 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 86 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:
PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
Tenure on Supreme Court
Morrison WaiteChief JusticeOhioSalmon P. Chase


March 23, 1888
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
William StrongAssociate JusticePennsylvaniaRobert Cooper Grier


December 14, 1880
Joseph P. BradleyAssociate JusticeNew Jerseynewly created seat


January 22, 1892
Ward HuntAssociate JusticeNew YorkSamuel Nelson


January 27, 1882

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
Barings v. DabneyBradleyStrongnoneS.C.affirmed
Hodges v. VaughanCliffordnonenoneoriginalcertiorari denied
Stowe v. United StatesDavisnonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
Salomon v. United StatesMillernonenoneCt. Cl.reversed
McCarthy v. MannSwaynenonenoneC.C.D. Minn.affirmed
Zantzingers v. GuntonMillernonenoneSup. Ct. D.C.affirmed
Bulkley v. United StatesSwaynenonenoneCt. Cl.reversed
The WenonaCliffordnonenoneC.C.N.D.N.Y.reversed
Knowles v. Gaslight and Coke CompanyBradleynonenoneC.C.D. Minn.reversed
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Company v. Sixth Presbyterian ChurchMillernonenoneSup. Ct. D.C.dismissal denied
Cooper's Executor v. OmohundroCliffordnonenoneC.C.E.D. Va.affirmed
Crews v. Brewerper curiamnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
The LucilleMillernonenoneC.C.D. Md.dismissed
The FalconSwaynenonenoneC.C.D. Md.reversed
Morgan's Executor v. GayStrongnonenoneC.C.D. La.reversed
Town of Queensbury v. CulverStrongnonenoneC.C.N.D.N.Y.affirmed
Robertson v. CarsonSwaynenonenoneC.C.D.S.C.reversed
Rees v. City of WatertownHuntnoneCliffordC.C.W.D. Wis.affirmed
The PennsylvaniaStrongnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.reversed
Carpenter v. RannelsSwaynenonenoneMo.affirmed
Sawyer v. PrickettHuntnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.reversed
Cropley v. CooperSwaynenonenoneSup. Ct. D.C.reversed
The Rio GrandeCliffordnonenoneC.C.D. La.dismissal denied
Eldred v. SextonDavisnonenoneWis.affirmed
United States v. GaussenHuntnonenoneC.C.D. La.reversed
Home Life Insurance Company v. DunnSwaynenonenoneOhio Dist. Ct. App.reversed
Dollar Savings Bank v. United StatesStrongnoneBradleyC.C.W.D. Pa.affirmed
Nugent v. Putnam CountyStrongnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.reversed
Kitchen v. RayburnStrongnonenoneC.C.D. Mo.affirmed
Caldwell's CaseHuntnonenoneCt. Cl.reversed
Hall v. JordanCliffordnonenoneTenn.affirmed
Coit v. RobinsonCliffordnoneBradleyC.C.S.D.N.Y.dismissed
Mitchell v. TilghmanCliffordnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.reversed
Union Telegraph Company v. EyserSwaynenoneCliffordSup. Ct. Terr. Colo.supersedeas granted
Klein v. RussellSwaynenonenoneC.C.N.D.N.Y.affirmed
City of Nashville v. RayBradleyHuntCliffordC.C.M.D. Tenn.reversed
City of Nashville v. LindseyBradleynonenoneC.C.M.D. Tenn.reversed
United States v. ArwoCliffordnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.certification
Tappan v. Merchants' National BankWaitenonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.reversed
Ex parte Robinson IFieldnonenoneW.D. Ark.mandamus granted
Ex parte Robinson IICliffordnonenoneW.D. Ark.advancement denied
Ryan v. United StatesMillernonenoneC.C.D. Ind.affirmed
Burke v. MiltenbergerDavisnonenoneLa.affirmed
Head v. University of MissouriHuntnonenoneMo.affirmed
Travellers' Insurance Company v. SeaverMillernonenoneC.C.D. Vt.reversed
Butt v. EllettSwaynenonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
Confederate Note CaseFieldnonenoneC.C.D.N.C.affirmed
Nunez v. DautelSwaynenonenoneC.C.S.D. Ga.affirmed
Williams v. BankheadBradleynonenoneC.C.E.D. Ark.reversed
Stevenson v. WilliamsFieldnonenoneLa.affirmed
Osborne v. United StatesWaitenonenoneC.C.E.D. Pa.affirmed
Peete v. MorganDavisnonenoneC.C.E.D. Tex.affirmed
Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad Company v. RichmondFieldnonenoneIowaaffirmed
United States v. CookWaitenonenoneC.C.E.D. Wis.certification
United States v. InnerarityHuntnonenoneD. La.reversed
United States v. JonasDavisnonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
Holladay v. DailyFieldnonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Colo.affirmed
Packet Company v. SicklesMillernonenoneSup. Ct. D.C.reversed
Mackay v. EastonFieldnonenoneC.C.E.D. Mo.affirmed
Aicardi v. AlabamaSwaynenonenoneAla.affirmed
Great Western Insurance Company v. FogartyMillernonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.affirmed
Warren v. Van BruntWaitenonenoneMinn.affirmed
Heine v. Levee CommissionersMillernonenoneC.C.D. La.affirmed
Boise County v. GormanWaitenonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Idahodismissed
Pine Grove Township v. TalcottSwaynenonenoneC.C.W.D. Mich.affirmed