United States et al. v. Great Northern Railway Co. (343 U.S. 562)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 2, 1952 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 343 U.S. 562 · 72 S. Ct. 985
- Docket
- No. 151
- Argued
- January 8, 1952
- Decided
- June 2, 1952
- Term
- October Term 1951
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Vinson
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
How the Justices voted
- Majority
- Chief Justice Vinson (wrote), Justice Minton, Justice Clark, Justice Douglas, Justice Frankfurter, Justice Reed
- Concurring in the judgment
- Justice Burton, Justice R. H. Jackson, Justice Black
Opinion excerpt
Mr. Chief Justice Vinson delivered the opinion of the Court. This is a suit to enjoin enforcement of an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission establishing joint rates over through routes. In this case, unlike Thompson v. United States, 343 U. S. 549 (decided this day), the through routes in question already exist since the carriers concerned have continuously provided through service over the same through routes at a combination of separately established rates. The Commission did not change any route or alter the total amount charged for any shipment but did order the establishment of joint rates in place of the combination rates. The Commission also ordered a division of revenues between the carriers in order to provide additional revenue for one financially weak carrier. The question presented is whether the Commission has power to establish joint rates for the purpose of assisting a carrier to meet its financial needs. The Montana Western Railway Company, incorporated in 1909, furnishes the only rail service over the twenty miles between Valier, Montana, and Conrad, Montana, where connection is made with the interstate rail lines of the appellee Great Northern Railway. Ap-pellee and a land irrigation company, now called the Valier Company, furnished the money to build the railroad. The Montana Western’s stock is owned by the Valier Company and its bonds in the sum of…
Excerpt of a 29,311-character opinion. The full text and citation network load in the interactive viewer above.