Cross v. United States (1916)

Cross v. United States
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued October 23, 1916 Decided November 13, 1916
Full case name	Cross v. United States
Citations	242 U.S. 4 (more) 242 U.S. 4; 37 S. Ct. 5; 61 L. Ed. 114; 1916 U.S. LEXIS 1569
Prior history	On appeal from the Court of Claims
Subsequent history	No subsequent appellate history or revisitation.
Holding
Fees may not rightfully be charged against the United States by a clerk of a federal court for making triplicate copies of declarations of intention, or for attaching the seal of the court thereto. The Naturalization Act, by the express prohibition against additional charges, precludes any right of the clerk which might otherwise exist to charge fees against the United States for the services here in question.
Court membership
Chief Justice Edward D. White Associate Justices Joseph McKenna · Oliver W. Holmes, Jr. William R. Day · Charles E. Hughes Willis Van Devanter · Mahlon Pitney James C. McReynolds
Case opinions
Majority	White, joined by Holmes, McKenna, Day, Van Devanter, Pitney, McReynolds, Brandeis, Clarke
None took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
Laws applied
Naturalization Act of 1906, §828 Rev. Stat.

Cross v. United States, 242 U.S. 4, (1916) was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding remuneration for clerks of the court for the copying and docketing of naturalization claims. ^[1]

Prior History

Appellant Cross, a federal court clerk, filed a claim against the United States to be paid fees for making triplicate copies of original declarations of intention for naturalization and attaching the seal of the court to the same. The United States Court of Claims (then simply the Court of Claims) denied his claim. The clerk appealed. ^[1]

Holding

Justice White wrote the opinion of the court:

A charge by a clerk of a Federal district court of fees for making, on the direction of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, triplicate copies of original declarations of intention for naturalization, and attaching the seal of the court, is not authorized by the general provisions of U. S. Rev. Stat. 828, since if the duty to render such services was expressly commanded by the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906, the right to charge therefore would be clearly forbidden by the prohibitory provision of §21, such services not having been included in the enumeration of fees in §13. ^[1]

See also

• Immigration
• Law clerk
• Xerox
• Docket
• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 242

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Cross v. United States, 242 U.S. 4, (1916)