United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

United States v. Lynch, 137 U.S. 280 (1890)

United States v. Lynch

No. 1195

Argued November 20, 1990

Decided December 8, 1890

137 U.S. 280

ERROR TO THE SUPREME COURT

OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Syllabus

In order to enable this Court to entertain jurisdiction of a writ of error to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia upon the ground that the validity of an authority exercised under the United States was drawn in question in the case, the validity of the authority must have been denied directly, and not incidentally.

Where the relator in an application for mandamus seeks to compel the Fourth Auditor and the Second Comptroller to audit and allow a claim for mileage upon the ground that the statute provides for such mileage in terms so plain as not to admit of construction, that this Court has so decided, and that hence the duty to be performed is purely ministerial, he does not thereby directly question the validity of the authority of the auditor to audit his account and of the Comptroller to revise and pass upon it.