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American Railroad Co. v. Birch, 224 U.S. 547 (1912)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
American Railroad Co. v. Birch, 224 U.S. 547 (1912)
American Railroad Company v. Birch No. 224 Submitted April 24, 1912 Decided May 13, 1912 224 U.S. 547
ERROR TO THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE
UNITED STATES FOR PORTO RICO
Syllabus
The Employers’ Liability Act of 1908 expressly applies to, and is in force in, Porto Rico, but quaere, and not necessary to decide in this case, whether the Safety Appliance Acts apply to, or are in force in, Porto Rico.
Where words of a statute are clear, they must be strictly followed even if the construction causes apparently unnecessary inconvenience.
Where the purpose of Congress is clear, the courts must yield to such purpose and assume that all contending considerations were taken into account by Congress.
The National Employers’ Liability Act of 1908 gives the right of recovery to the personal representatives, and not to the heirs, of one killed by the negligence of the employer, and the heirs cannot maintain an action even where the local statute, as in Porto Rico, gives a right to the heirs as well as to the personal representatives to maintain such an action.
A defendant company has the right under the Employers’ Liability Act of 1908 to have its liability determined in one action.
5 P.R.F. 273 reversed.
The facts, which involve the construction of the Employers’ Liability Act of 1908 and its application to Porto Rico, are stated in the opinion.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," American Railroad Co. v. Birch, 224 U.S. 547 (1912) in 224 U.S. 547 224 U.S. 551. Original Sources, accessed November 24, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4VCYE4M5V36WPZV.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." American Railroad Co. v. Birch, 224 U.S. 547 (1912), in 224 U.S. 547, page 224 U.S. 551. Original Sources. 24 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4VCYE4M5V36WPZV.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in American Railroad Co. v. Birch, 224 U.S. 547 (1912). cited in 1912, 224 U.S. 547, pp.224 U.S. 551. Original Sources, retrieved 24 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=4VCYE4M5V36WPZV.
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