United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Arant v. Lane, 245 U.S. 166 (1917)

United States ex Rel. Arant v. Lane

No. 44

Argued November 13, 14, 1917

Decided December 10, 1917

245 U.S. 166

Syllabus

Judgments or decrees of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia are not made final by Judicial Code, § 250, in cases involving the interpretation and effect of acts of Congress which are general in character, or the general duties or powers of officers under the law of the United States, as distinguished from merely local authority.

By Judicial Code, 251, the power of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia to certify questions to this Court is confined to cases where the judgments or decrees of that court are made final by § 250.

Page 245 U. S. 167

This limitation, being plain in the letter and spirit of the statute, would not be overridden by the fact (if there were such) that this Court had overlooked it in former cases where it was not brought in question.

Certificate dismissed.

The case is stated in the opinion.