Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers

398 U.S. 281 (1970)

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Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers

United States Supreme Court
398 U.S. 281 (1970)

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Facts

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company (ACL) (plaintiff) owned Moncrief yard, a railroad switching yard near Jacksonville, Florida. In 1967, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union (BLE) (defendant) began picketing use of Moncrief yard over a labor dispute with their third-party employer. After being denied an injunction in federal court, ACL was granted an injunction in state court. In 1969, the United States Supreme Court held in Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Jacksonville Terminal Co., 394 U.S. 369 (1969), that unions had a right to picket under the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. § 151 et seq., and that the right was not subject to state-court injunctions. BLE then filed a motion in state court to dissolve ACL’s injunction, but the state court refused, holding that the decision in Brotherhood v. Jacksonville Terminal was not controlling. Rather than appeal in state court, BLE filed a motion in federal court seeking an injunction against the enforcement of the state-court injunction in favor of ACL. The district court granted BLE’s requested injunction. The appellate court affirmed on stipulation of the parties, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)

Concurrence (Harlan, J.)

Dissent (Brennan, J.)

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