Southern Oregon Co. v. United States

Background

The case involved a dispute over lands originally granted to the State of Oregon and related reconveyance actions involving the Southern Oregon Company. The parties told the Court that their remaining differences had been adjusted and settled under a federal law enacted February 26, 1919, which accepts a reconveyance from the Southern Oregon Company of lands tied to the Coos Bay Wagon Road grant. The record also notes that Mr. John M. Gearin appeared for an appellant and the Solicitor General represented the United States.

Reasoning

The Court considered the parties’ suggestion of settlement under the 1919 Act and their joint motion asking the Supreme Court to send the case back to the lower court. In response, the Court ordered the case remanded to the District Court. The Supreme Court explicitly gave the District Court authority to modify its final decree so that the decree could be changed to carry the 1919 Act into effect.

Real world impact

As a result of this order, the District Court has the power to alter its earlier judgment to implement the terms of the 1919 statute accepting the reconveyance. That change allows the statutory process described in the Act to govern how the named lands are to be handled and settles the parties’ dispute insofar as the Act applies. The action is procedural and directs the lower court to apply the congressional statute in the case.