Supreme Court of the United States, 1959

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Douglas, reversed Henry's conviction because the agents lacked probable cause when they stopped his automobile and arrested him. The unexplained information about his companion and the outwardly innocent transportation of cartons did not establish probable cause, and evidence…

The Court held that the evidence supported the conspiracy convictions of the lottery operators who were liable for the federal wagering taxes and had concealed the business and its income, but did not support the convictions of two clerical employees who were not shown to know of that tax liability.

The Court held that the evidence supported conspiracy convictions for Ingram and Jenkins, who operated the gambling business, were liable for the federal wagering taxes, and conspired to conceal the business and its income.

The Court affirmed the judgment setting aside the Federal Power Commission's unconditional certificates and directed further proceedings before the Commission. Justice Clark's opinion held that the producers' refusal to accept a lower initial price did not deprive the Commission of jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court held that amounts retained by finance companies and credited to dealers' reserve accounts constitute accrued income to the dealers at the time the finance companies record them as liabilities, reversing the Ninth and Eighth Circuits and affirming the Seventh Circuit.

The Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Appeals, holding that the Federal Power Commission has jurisdiction under §7(e) of the Natural Gas Act to consider price‑related conditions on certificates and that its order granting unconditional certificates was unsupported by sufficient evidence, constituting an abuse of…

The Court dismissed the appeals for lack of appellate jurisdiction, treated the appeal papers as petitions for certiorari, and granted review. Justice Brennan's opinion held that due process prohibited convicting Raley, Brown, and Morgan for invoking a privilege against self-incrimination that the investigating…

Chief Justice Warren delivered the unanimous opinion reversing the Illinois Supreme Court. The Court held that the State violates due process when it knowingly allows false testimony to remain uncorrected, even when the falsehood concerns only a witness’s credibility.

Justice Black’s opinion affirmed the trial court’s interpretation of a consent decree limiting dividends paid by common-carrier pipelines to their shipper-owners. Allowable dividends were calculated from 7% of the pipeline property’s valuation and allocated according to stock ownership, without the additional…

Justice Harlan's majority opinion affirmed Barenblatt's conviction for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about Communist Party membership. The Court held that Rule XI, read in light of its legislative history and longstanding congressional practice, authorized the investigation of Communist…

The Supreme Court affirmed Barenblatt’s contempt of Congress conviction, holding that the House Un‑American Activities Committee’s subpoena authority under Rule XI was valid, the questions asked were pertinent to a legitimate legislative investigation of Communist infiltration in education, and the First Amendment was…

The Court held that the kidnapping charge had to be prosecuted by indictment because the statute created a single offense punishable by death when the charge was broad enough to support a capital verdict, even if the victim was ultimately shown to have been released unharmed.

Chief Justice Warren's opinion held that the Federal Kidnapping Act creates a single offense potentially punishable by death and that a charge broad enough to support capital punishment must be prosecuted by indictment under Rule 7(a), even if the victim was actually released unharmed.

The Supreme Court held that Illinois’s rear‑fender splash‑guard statute is unconstitutional because it imposes an undue burden on interstate commerce without providing a safety benefit and conflicts with the regulations of other states.

The Court held that Illinois's rear‑fender splash‑guard statute violates the Commerce Clause because it imposes an undue burden on interstate motor carriers without a safety benefit.

The Court held that Beacon could not be deprived of a jury trial on its antitrust claims or the corresponding issues in Fox's declaratory action by trying overlapping equitable claims first.

The Court held that California could not award damages for peaceful union activity arguably protected by § 7 or prohibited by § 8 of the National Labor Relations Act. Such activity falls within the National Labor Relations Board's exclusive primary competence, even when the Board declines jurisdiction, and awarding…

The Supreme Court reversed the lower courts, holding that the Tennessee‑Missouri Bridge Commission, created by an interstate compact approved by Congress, is subject to suit in federal court and the Eleventh Amendment immunity of the two states is waived by the compact’s sue‑and‑be‑sued clause.

The Supreme Court reversed the lower courts, holding that the Tennessee‑Missouri Bridge Commission’s "sue and be sued" clause in the interstate compact, together with congressional consent, waives the Eleventh Amendment immunity of the two States, allowing the suit under the Jones Act to proceed in federal court.

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Brennan, held that petitioners’ Illinois convictions did not bar a subsequent federal prosecution based on the same acts. It declined to overrule United States v.

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Frankfurter, affirmed Bartkus’s Illinois robbery conviction following his federal acquittal for substantially identical conduct. It held that the state prosecution did not violate Fourteenth Amendment due process and that the cooperation between federal and state authorities did not…

Justice Brennan's opinion for the Court affirmed enforcement of the unpaid purchase price for onions despite allegations that the sale accompanied an agreement violating the Sherman Act. The illegality defense applies only where the judgment itself would enforce the precise conduct prohibited by the Act.

The Court, through Justice Whittaker, held that a reliable informant's detailed report, corroborated by the arresting agent's observations except for the possession of heroin, established probable cause for Draper's warrantless arrest.