This is a list of cases reported in volume 111 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1884.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 111 U.S.

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 (one chief justice and five associate justices). Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices (always including one chief justice). When the cases in volume 111 U.S. were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:

Notable Case in 111 U.S.

Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony

In Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53 (1884), the Supreme Court upheld the power of Congress to extend copyright protection to photography. Regarding the interpretation of ”writings” in the Constitution, the Court held that Congress has ”properly declared these to include all forms of writing, printing, engraving, etching, &c., by which the ideas in the mind of the author are given visible expression”. The Court noted that ”maps and charts” were among the subjects of the first Copyright Act of 1790, and that etchings and engravings were added when it was first amended in 1802. The members of Congress that passed these first copyright acts were contemporaries of the Framers of the Constitution, and many of them attended the Constitutional Convention itself. As such, their interpretation of the Constitution, the Court decided, ”is of itself entitled to very great weight, and when it is remembered that the rights thus established have not been disputed during a period of nearly a century, it is almost conclusive”.

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 (from the US District Courts) 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 (i.e., in which cases could be filed directly with the Supreme Court without first having been heard by a lower federal or state court). 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.

List of cases in volume 111 U.S.

Notes and references