United States et al. v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. et al. (333 U.S. 169)

U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 8, 1948 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)

Citation
333 U.S. 169 · 68 S. Ct. 494
Docket
No. 223
Argued
February 3, 1948
Decided
March 8, 1948
Term
October Term 1947
Vote
8–1
Majority author
Justice Black
Issue area
Economic Activity
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome
Petitioning party won
Ideological direction
Liberal

How the Justices voted

Majority
Chief Justice Vinson, Justice R. H. Jackson, Justice Douglas, Justice Frankfurter, Justice Reed, Justice Black (wrote), Justice Rutledge, Justice Murphy
Dissenting
Justice Burton (wrote)

Opinion on Justia

Opinion excerpt

Mr. Justice Black delivered the opinion of the Court. This case is properly here on appeal, 28 U. S. C. § 345, from a district court decree enjoining enforcement of a cease and desist order of the Interstate Commerce Commission. 71 F. Supp. 499. The order enjoined required the five railroad appellees to abstain from refusing to deliver interstate shipments of livestock to the sidetrack of Swift & Company’s packing plant at Cleveland, Ohio, and to establish tariffs for such deliveries. Swift’s sidetrack has only one connection with a railroad. That connection is with the main line of the New York Central by way of a spur track, known as “Spur No. 245,” operated by that railroad. One end of this spur owned by the New York Central connects with its main line; the other end of the spur, also owned by the railroad, connects with Swift’s sidetrack and with other private sidetracks. A 1619-foot middle segment of the spur, known as “Track 1619,” is owned by the Cleveland Union Stock Yards Company. Under the terms of a trackage agreement with Stock Yards, New York Central uses Track 1619 for deliveries to Swift’s sidetrack and other private sidetracks connected with Spur No. 245. Thus all interstate railroad shipments to Swift’s siding and to others similarly located can be made only over the segment of track owned by Stock Yards. Because of its interest in Track 1619, Stock Yards was…

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