Supreme Court of the United States, 1947

The Court held that duly published federal crop insurance regulations bound applicants despite their lack of actual knowledge and the government's agent's erroneous assurance of coverage.

The Court upheld the convictions obtained by New York's special or “blue ribbon” jury, rejecting challenges under both equal protection and due process. It held that the statutory standards and demonstrated administration of the special-jury system did not show intentional exclusion, unconstitutional unequal…

The Court reversed the Court of Appeals, sustaining the SEC's refusal to accord management's stock purchases parity in a utility reorganization. Murphy's four-Justice opinion concluded that the earlier remand permitted the SEC to reconsider the matter on proper statutory grounds, that the agency could develop and…

The Supreme Court affirmed Adamson's California first-degree murder conviction and death sentence, holding that the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is not a privilege or immunity of national citizenship protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, thereby reaffirming Twining v. New Jersey.

The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions of Fay and Bove, holding that New York's special "blue ribbon" jury system does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's due‑process or equal‑protection clauses because the defendants failed to show purposeful discrimination in its composition.

The Court held that the band leader, not the dance‑hall operator, is the employer of the musicians for purposes of the Social Security Act because the total relationship shows the leader’s economic control, and it reversed the Court of Appeals while affirming the district court.

The Court held that the band leader, not the dance‑hall operator, is the employer of the musicians for purposes of the Social Security Act, and that the Form B contract cannot be used to shift the tax liability to the operator. The decision reverses the Court of Appeals and affirms the district court.

The Court affirmed dismissal of a subcontractor’s suit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against enforcement of the Renegotiation Acts while its Tax Court redetermination proceedings remained pending.

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Douglas announced by Justice Black, held that the United States Warehouse Act preempts state regulation of federally licensed grain warehouses on matters regulated by the federal Act, even when state requirements supplement rather than conflict with federal requirements.

The Court affirmed New York's modification of a Florida child-custody decree because Florida law allowed the decree to be modified at any time in the child's interests, and the record did not show that New York gave the decree less effect than it would have received in Florida.

Justice Jackson's majority opinion held that federal district courts may dismiss actions under forum non conveniens despite proper jurisdiction and venue, and that the District Court acted within its discretion in dismissing this Virginia-centered tort action filed in New York.

The Supreme Court reversed the convictions of the defendants and remanded the cases, holding that § 6 of the Norris‑LaGuardia Act requires clear proof of actual participation, authorization, or ratification before an association can be held liable for unlawful acts of its officers or members in a labor dispute, and…

The Court upheld the injunctions and contempt adjudications arising from the nationwide coal strike during federal operation of the mines. It held that the Clayton and Norris-LaGuardia Acts did not bar injunctions in this dispute between the Government and workers who, for these purposes, were its employees.

The Court affirmed Louisiana's denial of relief against a second attempt to execute Francis after an equipment failure prevented the first electrocution from causing death. Justice Reed, joined by Chief Justice Vinson and Justices Black and Jackson, concluded that another execution attempt following an innocent…

The Court held that Indiana could not impose its unapportioned gross-income tax on proceeds from interstate sales of securities because the tax directly burdened the interstate sales themselves.

The Court held that Indiana could not impose an unapportioned gross-receipts tax on proceeds from interstate sales of securities arranged through Indiana and New York brokers. The tax directly burdened the interstate sales themselves, and the fact that the securities were intangibles or that Indiana taxed local…